Fabrication and compressive behavior of carbon-fiber-reinforced cylindrical foldcore sandwich structure

Abstract

Carbon-fiber-reinforced cylindrical foldcore sandwich structures (CFSSs) were designed and fabricated through a pre-folding prepregs and hot-press molding method. The cylindrical foldcore was made up of combination of arc-foldcore. Curved face sheets were bonded to the cylindrical foldcore to form a sandwich cylinder. Axial compression tests were performed on the representative specimens to reveal the ultimate load and failure mechanisms of CFSSs. Local buckling and face crushing were observed during experiment and the most important failure modes for the CFSSs. Theoretical models pertaining to these two failure modes were established. The predictions are in reasonable agreements with the measurements. Compared with the traditional grid stiffened cylinder, the load bearing capacity of CFSSs is higher by several times.