GLARE (GLAss REinforced) is a fiber metal laminate, built up of laminates of thin layers of Alumnium and glass fiber/epoxy which are bonded together. The material was first developed at Delft University, Netherlands as a possible new generation material for aircraft structures. Wing leading edge is technologically the most critical structural part and forms the front portion of the main wing of an aircraft.

The structural analysis of GLARE laminates is carried out applying classical lamination theory. The influence of anisotropic material properties resulting from variations in material properties of metal and fiber, fiber orientations and stacking sequences, have been duly considered while analyzing a 3D model of the wing leading edge modeled through CATIA. The numerical analysis of the wing leading edge is carried out through commercial software package NASTRAN.

GLARE laminate materials require special attention during manufacturing. For experimental validation the required GLARE panels are fabricated by lay-up process. Also a novel method has been experimented to successfully machine tensile test-specimens made up of GLARE, to overcome the issues related to unwarranted peeling of laminates as encountered in conventional machining processes.

GLARE laminate materials require special attention during manufacturing. For experimental validation the required GLARE panels are fabricated by lay-up process. Also a novel method has been experimented to successfully machine tensile test-specimens made up of GLARE, to overcome the issues related to unwarranted peeling of laminates as encountered in conventional machining processes.

The investigations have been carried out on different GLARE configurations based on the thicknesses of Al 2024 T3 alloy metal. The dynamic response is investigated by numerical simulation and the results have been compared with bench mark tests to demonstrate the performance of the modeling techniques employed in this investigation. These results have been finally validated through experiments performed on actual GLARE test specimens which clearly establish that a GLARE material whose laminate thickness varies between 0.4 mm and 0.7 mm is best suited for applications as structural material for the fabrication of wing leading edge of a commercial aircraft. This aspect has been proved with reasonable levels of confidence through finite element analysis, analytical methods and experimental protocols.

The results of this investigation are expected to provide the much needed information   about the GLARE laminates with specific reference to their analysis with a view to enhance their commercial applications.