Abstract
As a light structure, composite sandwich panels are distinguished by their significant bending stiffness that is rapidly used in the manufacture of aircraft bodies. This study focuses on the mechanical behaviour of through-thickness polymer, pin-reinforced foam core sandwich panels subjected to indentation and low impact loading. Experimental and computational approaches are used to study the global and internal behaviour of the sandwich panel. The samples for experimental testing were made from glass/polyester laminates as the face sheets and polyurethane foam as the foam core. To further reinforce the samples against bending, different sizes of polymeric pins were implemented on the sandwich panels. The sandwich panel was fabricated using the vacuum infusion process. Using the experimental data, a finite element model of the sample was generated in LS-DYNA software, and the effect of pin size and loading rate were examined. Results of the simulation were validated through a proper prediction compared to the test data. The results of the study show that using polymeric pins, the flexural strength of the panel significantly increased under impact loading. In addition, the impact resistance of the pin-reinforced foam core panel increased up to 20%. Moreover, the size of pins has a significant influence on the flexural behaviour while the sample was under a moderate strain rate. To design an optimum pin-reinforced sandwich panel a “design of experiment model” was generated to predict energy absorption and the maximum peak load of proposed sandwich panels. The best design of the panel is recommended with 1.8 mm face sheet thickness and 5 mm pins diameter.
Highlights
The potential of weight saving while maintaining structural integrity and stability is the driving force to use composite materials and structures in advanced industries [1,2]
Comparison between the results of the foam core sandwich (FCS) panel and PFCS show that using pin reinforced in the sandwich panel can increase the peak load and energy absorption of a panel up to 20%
Numerical simulation and experimental test of low-velocity indentation test were performed on FCS and PFCS panels
Summary
The potential of weight saving while maintaining structural integrity and stability is the driving force to use composite materials and structures in advanced industries [1,2]. Sandwich panels are made of stiff and rigid face sheets and lightweight and thick core materials. The bonding between the core and face sheet is a crucial point to use the maximum capacity of the structure stiffness against impact loading. Several studies have been carried out to increase the bonding properties of sandwich structures Different methods such as tufting, orthogonal weaving, stitching, and Z-pinning were proposed to increase the bonding strength between the core and face sheets [12,13,14,15,16]. Some research has proposed injected reinforced pins to increase the mechanical strength in sandwich structures with foam cores. The main application of composite sandwich panels is in structures that are under low or high impact loading regarding lightweight design. S 2021, 13, PxoFlyOmRerPsE2E0R21R, 1E3V,I3E6W27 dy Type ign Type gn Model Factor
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