Wooden sandwich panels with prismatic core – Energy absorbing capabilities

Abstract

Sandwich panels manufactured from wood and wood-based materials promote optimal management of natural resources, as they are obtained from renewable materials. For this reason numerous attempts are being made to use wood in the manufacture of light-weight layer composites exhibiting high rigidity and relatively low density. The aim of the study was to determine the energy absorption capacity in wooden sandwich panels with a prismatic core. This paper describes a method to manufacture a novel wood-based material with a prismatic core. Uniaxial compression tests and 3-point bending performed on the panels were discussed together with the method to determine the amounts of absorbed energy. Numerical models were presented for panels in compression and bending tests along with the method to calculate the results applying the Finite Element Method (FEM). These models were verified based on the results of experimental analyses to facilitate predictability for a new class of composite materials. It was shown that panels with a triple core are more resistant compared to panels with a single core. Moreover, these panels exhibit greater energy absorption capacity.