Fabrication and Testing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Truss Core Sandwich Panels

Truss core sandwich panels reinforced by carbon fibers were assembled with bonded laminate facesheets and carbon fiber reinforced truss cores.The top and bottom facesheets were interconnected with truss cores.Both ends of the truss cores were embedded into four layers of top and bottom facesheets.The mechanical properties of truss core sandwich panels were then investigated under out-of-plane and in-plane compression loadings to reveal the failure mechanisms of sandwich panels.Experimental results indicated...     

Mechanical behavior of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite sandwich panels with 2-D lattice truss cores

Composite sandwich structures with lattice truss cores are attracting more and more attention due to their superior specific strength/stiffness and multi-functional applications. In the present study, the carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite sandwich panels with 2-D lattice truss core are manufactured based on the hot-pressing method using unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepregs. The facesheets are interconnected with lattice truss members by means of that both ends of the lattice truss members are embedded into the facesheets, without the bonding procedure commonly adopted by sandwich panels. The mechanical properties of the 2-D lattice truss sandwich panels are investigated under out-of-plane compression, shear and three-point bending tests. Delamination of the facesheets is observed in shear and bending tests while node failure mode does not occur. The tests demonstrate that delamination of the facesheet is the primary failure mode of this sandwich structure other than the debonding between the facesheets and core for conventional sandwiches.     

Compression and bending performances of carbon fiber reinforced lattice-core sandwich composites

To restrict debonding, carbon fiber reinforced lattice-core sandwich composites with compliant skins were designed and manufactured. Compression behaviors of the lattice composites and sandwich columns with different skin thicknesses were tested. Bending performances of the sandwich panels were explored by three-point bending experiments. Two typical failure mechanisms of the lattice-core sandwich structures, delaminating and local buckling were revealed by the experiments. Failure criteria were suggested and gave consistent analytical predictions. For panels with stiff skins, delamination is the dominant failure style. Cell dimensions, fracture toughness of the adhesives and the strength of the sandwich skin decide the critical load capacity of the lattice-core sandwich structure. The mono-cell buckling and the succeeding local buckling are dominant for the sandwich structures with more compliant skin sheets. Debonding is restricted within one cell in bending and two cells in compression for lattice-core sandwich panels with compliant face sheets and softer lattice cores.     

Mechanical Response of All-composite Pyramidal Lattice Truss Core Sandwich Structures

The mechanical performance of an all-composite pyramidal lattice truss core sandwich structure was investigated both theoretically and experimentally.Sandwich structures were fabricated with a hot compression molding method using carbon fiber reinforced composite T700/3234.The out-of-plane compression and shear tests were conducted.Experimental results showed that the all-composite pyramidal lattice truss core sandwich structures were more weight efficient than other metallic lattice truss core sandwich structures.Failure modes revealed that node rupture dominated the mechanical behavior of sandwich structures.     

High Velocity Impact Response of Composite Lattice Core Sandwich Structures

In this research, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite sandwich structures with pyramidal lattice core subjected to high velocity impact ranging from 180 to 2,000 m/s have been investigated by experimental and numerical methods. Experiments using a two-stage light gas gun are conducted to investigate the impact process and to validate the finite element (FE) model. The energy absorption efficiency (EAE) in carbon fiber composite sandwich panels is compared with that of 304 stainless-steel and aluminum alloy lattice core sandwich structures. In a specific impact energy range, energy absorption efficiency in carbon fiber composite sandwich panels is higher than that of 304 stainless-steel sandwich panels and aluminum alloy sandwich panels owing to the big density of metal materials. Therefore, in addition to the multi-functional applications, carbon fiber composite sandwich panels have a potential advantage to substitute the metal sandwich panels as high velocity impact resistance structures under a specific impact energy range.     

Regenerated thermosetting styrene-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-acrylonitrile sandwich composite panels reinforced by jute fibre: structures and properties

Jute fibres-reinforced sandwich regenerated composite panels were fabricated using industrial waste thermosetting styrene-co-acrylonitrile (SAN) foam scraps via compression moulding for the purpose of recycling waste SAN foam and obtaining high physical performance. The jute fibres were, respectively, treated by heat, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution (5.0 wt%), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) in order to improve the mechanical properties of the composites. The structures and mechanical properties of the composites were studied. The SAN matrix got compact and some crystalline region formed in SAN matrix via compression moulding. The composite reinforced by DMAc-treated jute fibres performed optimum mechanical properties among the regenerated panels whose impact strength, flexural strength, and compressive strength were 19.9 kJ m^?2, 41.7 MPa, and 61.0 MPa, respectively. Good interfacial bonding between DMAc-treated fibres and SAN matrix was verified by peel test and exhibited in SEM photographs. Besides, the water absorption of DMAc-treated fibres composite was lower than other SAN/jute fibre-reinforced sandwich composite panels.     

格构增强夹芯复合材料的力学性能

为了解决传统夹芯结构z向刚度和强度较低的缺点,以近年来出现的z向增强技术之一格构增强技术为研究对象试制了几种不同结构参数的格构增强夹芯复合材料板,取得了良好的增强效果。同时研究了格构增强结构的压缩和弯曲性能,揭示了格构增强结构不同于传统夹芯结构的破坏模式。     

Mechanical behaviour of CFRP sandwich structures with tetrahedral lattice truss cores

A method of manufacturing carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) tetrahedral lattice truss core sandwich structure by thermal expansion silicon rubber mould was developed. The sandwich structure was manufactured integrally without secondary bonding and the silicon rubber mould can be made mass-production with low cost in this approach. The intrinsic property of the CFRP was fully exploited because of carbon fibres aligned in the axial orientation of the truss member. The mechanical properties of CFRP tetrahedral lattice truss core sandwich structures were investigated by flatwise compression and shear test. The experimental results indicate that CFRP tetrahedral lattice truss core sandwich structures have higher weight-specific compressive strength than some metal truss cores, and are competitive with conventional honeycombs.     

The mechanical behaviour of corrugated-core sandwich panels

A series of experimental investigations and numerical analyses is presented into the compression response, and subsequent failure modes in corrugated-core sandwich panels based on an aluminium alloy, a glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) and a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The corrugated-cores were fabricated using a hot press moulding technique and then bonded to face sheets based on the same material, to produce a range of lightweight sandwich panels. The role of the number of unit cells and the thickness of the cell walls in determining the overall deformation and local collapse behaviour of the panels is investigated. The experiments also provide an insight into the post-failure response of the sandwich panels. The results are compared with the numerical predictions offered by a finite element analysis (FEA) as well as those associated with an analytical model. Buckling of the cell walls has been found to be initial failure mode in these corrugated systems. Continued loading resulted in fracture of the cell walls, localised delamination as well as debonding between the skins and the core. The predictions of the FEA generally show reasonably good agreement with the experimental measurements. Finally, the specific compressive properties of the corrugated structures have been compared to those of other core materials where evidence suggests that these systems compare favourably with their more conventional counterparts.     

Process Factors and Edgewise Compressive Properties of Scarf-repaired Honeycomb Sandwich Structures

Bonded repairs were conducted on flat and edge-closed composite sandwich panels that had undergone different levels of initial damage, and edgewise compression behaviors of repaired panel were tested. Experimental results indicate that these repair techniques can restore the compression performance of damaged panels effectively. The repaired specimens recovered an average of over 83 % of their strength. A k-sample Anderson-Darling test was used to analyze the influence of various parameters, including curing temperature, curing pressure, and repair configurations. After a thorough comparison, it was concluded that a high-temperature, high-pressure treatment can improve the mechanical performance of repaired panels, but the improvement is closely related to the structural complexity of the repaired region. A double-side repair scheme could be used to prevent the degradation of mechanical performance caused by the additional bending moment. The conclusions drawn in the present study provide further insight into the mechanical performance of repaired sandwich panels under edgewise compressive loads. These data facilitate the improved design methodology on bonded repair of composite sandwich structures.     

Mechanical behavior of the sandwich structures with carbon fiber-reinforced pyramidal lattice truss core

Sandwich panel construction with carbon fiber-reinforced pyramidal lattice truss is attracting more and more attention due to its superior mechanical properties and multi-functional applications. Pyramidal lattice truss sandwich panels made from carbon fiber reinforced composites materials are manufactured by hot-pressing. The facesheets are interconnected with truss cores, the facesheets and truss cores are manufactured in one manufacturing process without bonding. The buckling and splitting of truss member is observed in the compressive and shear tests and no nodal failure is observed. The predicted results show that the mechanical behavior of the pyramidal lattice truss core sandwich panels depends on the relative density of core and the material properties of truss members.     

纤维缝合结构对夹芯结构复合材料力学性能的影响

通过RTM工艺成型了点阵增强夹芯结构复合材料,研究了纤维缝合结构对复合材料平压及侧压力学性能的影响,并探索了侧向压缩载荷下夹芯结构复合材料的破坏模式。结果表明,采用纤维缝合的方式可显著提高夹芯结构复合材料的力学性能。双向增强夹芯复合材料在长度和厚度方向上的侧压强度和模量相同,单向增强的侧压强度和模量表现出方向性,且长度方向上的模量明显高于宽度方向的。     

Characteristics of joining inserts for composite sandwich panels

Composite sandwich constructions are widely employed in various light weight structures, because composite sandwich panels have high specific stiffness and high specific bending strength compared to solid panels. Since sandwich panels are basically unsuited to carry localized loads, the sandwich structure should provide joining inserts to transfer the localized loads to other structures.In this work, the load transfer characteristics of the partial type insert for composite sandwich panels were investigated experimentally with respect to the insert shape. The static and dynamic pull out tests of the composite sandwich panels composed of an aluminum honeycomb core, two laminates of carbon fiber/epoxy composite and aluminum insert, were performed. From the experiments, the effect of the insert shape on the mechanical characteristics of composite sandwich panels was evaluated.     

结构参数对树脂基纤维编织复合材料折叠夹芯结构力学性能的影响

折叠夹芯结构是一种新型的复合材料夹芯结构,其结构参数对力学性能有重要的影响。文中以碳纤维和Kevlar平纹编织预浸料为芯材原料,采用热压工艺,制备了复合材料折叠夹芯结构试样。通过压缩试验得到不同条件下折叠夹芯结构在静态压缩载荷作用下的力-位移变化曲线。构建了复合材料折叠夹芯结构有限元模型,对不同结构参数复合材料折叠夹芯的力学性能进行了数值模拟分析,并将模拟结果与实验结果进行对比验证了模型的可靠性。实验及数值模拟的分析结果表明,随着芯材厚度的增加,折叠夹芯层的压缩强度呈线性增加,其破坏形式由假塑性变形逐渐向脆性破坏转化;面板对夹芯层的约束作用能够极大地提高压缩模量和强度,而且上下面板对压缩性能曲线有着不同的影响;折叠夹芯单元的高度、长度、折叠夹角等参数对其力学性能具有不同程度的影响。     

Fabrication and mechanical behaviors of cementitious composites reinforced by 3D woven lattice sandwich fabrics

Glass fibers were firstly woven to form three-dimensional (3D) woven lattice sandwich fabrics (WLSFs) which then were applied to reinforce cementitious foams and mortars to fabricate novel ductile cementitious composites. Failure behaviors of WLSF reinforced cementitious composite structures were studied through compression and three-point bending experiments. The WLSF greatly enhances the strength of cementitious foams at a level of four times. For cementitious mortars, compression strength of WLSF reinforced blocks is a little greater for the fraction of the textile is small as well as the compression strength of the textile pillars is not strong. But in flexure, excellent stretching ability of the glass fiber textiles greatly improves the flexural behavior of WLSF reinforced cementitious composite panels. Load capacity and ultimate deflection of these composite panels were greatly enhanced. Flexural capacity of the WLSF reinforced beam is four times greater. Reinforced by WLSF, failure of the cementitious composite is ductile.     

Effects of thermal exposure on mechanical behavior of carbon fiber composite pyramidal truss core sandwich panel

An experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of high temperature exposure on mechanical properties of carbon fiber composite sandwich panel with pyramidal truss core. For this purpose, sandwich panels were exposed to different temperatures for different times. Then sandwich panels were tested under out-of-plane compression till failure after thermal exposure. Our results indicated that both the thermal exposure temperature and time were the important factors affecting the failure of sandwich panels. Severe reductions in residual compressive modulus and strength were observed when sandwich panels were exposed to 300 °C for 6 h. The effect of high temperature exposure on failure mode of sandwich panel was revealed as well. Delamination and low fiber to matrix adhesion caused by the degradation of the matrix properties were found for the specimens exposed to 300 °C. The modulus and strength of sandwich panels at different thermal exposure temperatures and times were predicted with proposed method and compared with measured results. Experimental results showed that the predicted values were close to experimental values.     

Kevlar短纤维增韧碳纤维/铝蜂窝夹芯板三点弯曲与面内压缩性能

介绍了碳纤维/铝蜂窝夹芯结构的Kevlar短纤维界面增韧方法。通过三点弯曲实验和面内压缩实验,对比增韧试件与未增韧试件的载荷位移曲线、破坏模式等特征,发现未增韧试件往往先发生界面分层破坏,继而面板和芯体分别发生局部破坏;而增韧试件通常发生整体破坏。实验数据显示,Kevlar短纤维界面增韧可以使碳纤维/铝蜂窝夹芯板的抗弯强度、压缩强度、能量吸收等力学性能分别至少提高14.06%、55.80%和61.53%。对破坏后界面的SEM观测发现:增韧试件并未发生界面脱粘,而是由于芯体撕裂造成面/芯剥离,揭示了Kevlar短纤维的界面增韧机制。对具有Kevlar短纤维界面增韧的碳纤维/铝蜂窝夹芯结构进行有限元建模,并分别对其在三点弯曲和面内压缩载荷下的力学行为进行数值分析,以指导该类夹芯结构的分析与设计。     

碳/芳纶混杂纤维增强波纹夹芯结构低速冲击性能

采用碳纤维和芳纶纤维增强复合材料对波纹夹芯结构的面板进行层间混杂铺层设计,通过真空辅助树脂灌注(VARI)成型工艺制备混杂波纹夹芯结构。在60 J、80 J和100 J三种不同冲击能量下,研究了面板混杂铺层方式对波纹夹芯结构低速冲击性能及冲击后压缩强度的影响,并利用超声C扫和工业CT断层成像两种无损检测技术对波纹夹芯结构的冲击损伤机制进行了分析。结果表明：冲击能量较低时,波纹夹芯结构的吸收能量基本不受面板的混杂铺层方式影响,而凹坑深度随表层碳纤维层数增加而减少。冲击能量较高时,面板为分层式混杂(碳/芳纶纤维单层交替铺层)的波纹夹芯结构的抗冲击性能最好,纤维断裂损伤和层间分层主要发生在试样表层,但损伤面积较大;面板为夹层式混杂(以碳纤维为蒙皮、芳纶纤维为芯材)的波纹夹芯结构具有较高的吸收能量,整个上面板的纤维都发生了断裂破坏,但损伤面积较小。碳/芳纶混杂波纹夹芯结构的面板采用分层式和夹层式的混杂铺层设计时,具有较高的冲击后压缩强度。     

Development and Mechanical Behavior of FML/Aluminium Foam Sandwiches

In this study, the Fiber-Metal Laminates (FMLs) containing glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GFPP) and aluminum (Al) sheet were consolidated with Al foam cores for preparing the sandwich panels. The aim of this article is the comparison of the flexural properties of FML/Al foam sandwich panels bonded with various surface modification approaches (silane treatment and combination of silane treatment with polypropylene (PP) based film addition). The FML/foam sandwich systems were fabricated by laminating the components in a mould at 200 °C under 1.5 MPa pressure. The energy absorbtion capacities and flexural mechanical properties of the prepared sandwich systems were evaluated by mechanical tests. Experiments were performed on samples of varying foam thicknesses (8, 20 and 30 mm). The bonding among the sandwich components were achieved by various surface modification techniques. The Al sheet/Al foam sandwiches were also consolidated by bonding the components with an epoxy adhesive to reveal the effect of GFPP on the flexural performance of the sandwich structures.     

Compression and impact testing of two-layer composite pyramidal-core sandwich panels

Quasi-static uniform compression tests and low-velocity concentrated impact tests were conducted to reveal the failure mechanisms and energy absorption capacity of two-layer carbon fiber composite sandwich panels with pyramidal truss cores. Three different volume-fraction cores (i.e., with different relative densities) were fabricated: 1.25%, 1.81%, and 2.27%. Two-layer sandwich panels with identical volume-fraction cores (either 1.25% or 2.27%), and also stepwise graded panels consisting of one light and one heavy core, were investigated under uniform quasi-static compression. Under quasi-static compression, load peaks were identified with complete failure of individual truss layers due to strut buckling or strut crushing, and specific energy absorption was estimated for different core configurations. In the impact test, the damage resulting from low-velocity concentrated impact was investigated. Our results show that compared with glass fiber woven textile truss cores, two-layer carbon fiber composite pyramidal truss cores have comparable specific energy absorptions, and thus could be used in the development of novel light-weight multifunctional structures.