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.     

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...     

碳纤维增强金字塔点阵夹芯结构的抗压缩性能

提出了一种碳纤维增强复合材料点阵夹芯结构的一体化成型工艺方法。该方法克服了传统夹芯结构面板与芯子之间因需要二次粘接或焊接的方法所带来弱界面的缺点。将纤维杆两端埋入面板内,使面板与芯子成为一体而不存在明显的界面。对用该方法制备的碳纤维增强金字塔点阵夹芯板进行平压试验,研究发现随着载荷的增加,纤维杆发生弹性屈曲并在中间部位出现断裂。理论分析了点阵夹芯结构平压载荷下的弹性模量和纤维杆极限屈曲载荷。通过与传统夹芯材料相比较发现,这种新型复合材料点阵夹芯结构具有密度低、比强度和比刚度高等优点。      

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.     

Dynamic models for low-velocity impact damage of composite sandwich panels – Part B: Damage initiation

Equivalent single and multi degree-of-freedom systems are used to predict low-velocity impact damage of composite sandwich panels by rigid projectiles. The composite sandwich panels are symmetric and consist of orthotropic laminate facesheets and a core with constant crushing resistance. The transient deformation response of the sandwich panels subjected to impact were predicted in a previous paper, and analytical solutions for the impact force and velocity at damage initiation in sandwich panels are presented in this second paper. Several damage initiation modes are considered, including tensile and shear fracture of the top facesheet, core shear failure, and tensile failure of back facesheet. The impact failure modes are similar to static indentation failure modes, but inertial resistance and high strain rate material properties of the facesheets and core influence impact damage loads. Predicted damage initiation loads and impact velocities compare well with experimental results.     

High Temperature Residual Properties of Carbon Fiber Composite Sandwich Panel with Pyramidal Truss Cores

A study on the mechanical property degradation of carbon fiber composite sandwich panel with pyramidal truss cores by high temperature exposure is performed. Analytical formulae for the residual bending strength of composite sandwich panel after thermal exposure are presented for possible competing failure modes. The composite sandwich panels were fabricated from unidirectional carbon/epoxy prepreg, and were exposed to different temperatures for different time. The bending properties of the exposed specimens were measured by three-point bending tests. Then the effect of high temperature exposure on the bending properties and damage mechanism were analyzed. The results have shown that the residual bending strength of composite sandwich panels decreased with increasing exposure temperature and time, which was caused by the degradation of the matrix property and fiber-matrix interface property at high temperature. The effect of thermal exposure on failure mode of composite sandwich panel was observed as well. The measured failure loads showed good agreement with the analytical predictions. It is expected that this study can provide useful information on the design and application of carbon fiber composite sandwich panel at high temperature.     

齿板-玻璃纤维混合夹层结构弯曲性能试验

提出了一种齿板-玻璃纤维混合面板和泡沫芯材组成的新型混合夹层结构,齿板通过齿钉与泡沫芯材相连。该结构采用真空导入成型工艺制备,通过三点弯曲试验研究该结构在不同跨度以及不同芯材密度情况下的破坏模式和弯曲性能,并与普通泡沫夹层结构进行对比分析,同时探究了齿板对该结构界面性能的影响。结果表明:在泡沫芯材密度为35kg/m~3、80kg/m~3和150kg/m~3情况下,齿板-玻璃纤维混合泡沫夹层梁弯曲承载能力与普通泡沫夹层梁相比分别提高了168%、211%和258%,其界面剪切强度依次为0.09 MPa、0.21 MPa和0.45 MPa;随着芯材密度和跨度的变化,该结构主要产生芯材剪切和芯材凹陷两种破坏形态,齿板的嵌入有效抑制界面的剪切失效。另外,利用理论公式估算了试件受弯极限承载能力,理论值与实测值吻合较好。     

Free vibration analysis of simply supported sandwich beams with lattice truss core

Free vibration of AISI 304 stainless steel sandwich beams with pyramidal truss core is investigated in the present paper. The lattice truss core is transformed to a continuous homogeneous material. Considering the deformation characteristics of the sandwich beam, the following assumptions are made: (1) the thickness of the sandwich beam remains constant during deformation; (2) for the thin face sheets, only bending deformation is considered, neglecting the effect of transverse shear deformation; (3) for the core, only shear deformation is considered as the core is too weak to provide a significant contribution to the bending stiffness of the sandwich beam. The shear stress is assumed to be constant along the thickness of the core. The governing equation of free vibration is derived from Hamilton's principle, and the natural frequencies are calculated under simply supported boundary conditions. Finally, numerical simulation is carried out to get the mode shapes and natural frequencies. Our results show that the theoretical solutions agree well with the numerical results. It indicates the present method would be useful for free vibration analysis of sandwich beams with lattice truss core.     

陶瓷棒填充点阵金属夹层结构的制备及抗侵彻实验

为提高轻量化复合装甲的抗侵彻能力,提出了内部填充陶瓷棒并由混杂短切玻璃纤维的环氧树脂封装的点阵金属夹层防护结构。首先,通过弹道冲击实验研究了陶瓷棒填充点阵金属夹层防护结构的抗弹丸侵彻能力;然后,结合失效模式和吸能效率,综合分析了该夹层防护结构的抗侵彻机制。结果表明:陶瓷棒填充点阵金属夹层防护结构的主要失效模式包括点阵金属结构和混杂填充材料的拉伸断裂、陶瓷棒的破裂、面板和背板的局部剪切破坏以及背板的总体弯曲变形。在球形弹丸侵彻过程中,由于点阵金属结构的塑性大变形和剪切扩孔、陶瓷棒和环氧树脂的断裂破坏以及面板的宏观弯曲变形,防护结构的抗侵彻能力得到大幅提高。研究结果可为新型轻质复合装甲的防护设计提供一定参考。      

Mechanical property of lattice truss material in sandwich panel including strut flexural deformation

Lattice truss materials are usually assumed to be stretching dominated neglecting the bending resistance of struts. In this paper, bending resistance of struts is considered for lattice truss sandwich panels. The mechanical behaviors are not only decided by the relative density of the lattice and the strut inclination, but also the slenderness ratio of the strut. For stout and hierarchical struts, the slenderness ratio turns to smaller, and the shear force and the bending moment are comparable to the strut axial force. Compared with the stretching dominated theory, the stiffness of the lattice material should be improved while the strength reduced, which has been proved to be more consistent with experimental results.     

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.     

含面芯界面缺陷的蜂窝夹芯板侧向压缩破坏模式

为了对含面芯层间脱胶缺陷的蜂窝夹芯板在侧向压缩载荷作用下的典型破坏模式进行数值预报, 建立了基于蔡-希尔破坏准则和粘结模型的计算模型。该计算模型是建立在对蜂窝夹芯板的双悬臂梁(DCB)和单臂梁(SLB) 试验中所发现的一种新的破坏模式的分析基础之上的。对蜂窝夹芯板的侧向压缩破坏行为的数值预报中, 发现一种新的破坏模式: 位于脱胶区域的面板首先发生局部屈曲失稳, 随后面板内部靠近芯子的45°/0°层间出现分层, 与此同时最靠近芯子的45°铺层发生断裂, 伴随着45°/0°层间分层的扩展, 面板发展成为对称性整体屈曲失稳。与侧向压缩试验测试结果对比发现, 计算模型模拟中所预报的破坏模式在实验测试中也得到了很好的验证。      

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。     

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.     

Strength evaluations of sinusoidal core for FRP sandwich bridge deck panels

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sandwich deck panels with sinusoidal core geometry have shown to be successful both in new construction and the rehabilitation of existing bridge decks. This paper is focused on an experimental study of the strength evaluations of a honeycomb sandwich core under out-of-plane compression and transverse shear. The sinusoidal core is made of E-glass Chopped Strand Mat (ChSM) and Polyester resin. The compressive, tensile and shear strengths were first obtained from coupon tests. The out-of-plane compression tests were performed on representative single-cell volume elements of sandwich panels, and the tests included “stabilized” samples to induce compression failure, and “bare” samples to induce local buckling of the core. Finally, four-point bending tests were conducted to study the structural strength behavior under transverse shear. Two types of beam samples were manufactured by orienting the sinusoidal wave either along the length (longitudinal) or along the width (transverse). Both typical shear failure mode of the core material and delamination at the core–facesheet bonding interface were observed for longitudinal samples. The failure for transverse samples was caused by core panel separation. For both single-cell and beam-type specimen tests, the number of bonding layers, i.e., the amount of ChSM contact layer and resin used to embed the core into the facesheet, and the core thickness are varied to study their influence. The experimental results described herein can be subsequently used to develop design guidelines.     

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.     

Sandwich panels with Kagome lattice cores reinforced by carbon fibers

Stretching dominated Kagome lattices reinforced by carbon fibers were designed and manufactured. The sandwich panels were assembled with bonded laminate skins. The mechanical behaviors of the sandwich panels were tested by out-of-plane compression, in-plane compression and three-point bending. Different failure modes of the sandwich structures were revealed. The experimental results showed that the carbon fiber reinforced lattice grids are much stiffer and stronger than foams and honeycombs. It was found that buckling and debonding dominate the mechanical behavior of the sandwich structures, and that more complaint skin sheets might further improve the overall mechanical performance of the sandwich panels.     

Cellular Metal Truss Core Sandwich Structures

Closed cell honeycomb core structures are widely used for sandwich panel construction. Periodic open cell tetrahedral truss core structures have recently been shown to possess weight specific properties that compete with those of honeycomb core designs. In contrast to honeycomb, the open cell topologies provide many opportunities for multifunctionality. Past approaches to miniature tetrahedral truss fabrication from metals have utilized investment casting routes. Material choices are then constrained by the need for high fluidity during casting. Strength knockdown due to casting defects has been observed. Here, we utilize a comparatively simple wrought metal based approach. The truss cores are made by deformation shaping hexagonal perforated metal sheets. They are then bonded between thin facesheets using a transient liquid phase approach. When designed to minimize bending of members within the core, a linear dependence of core modulus and strength upon relative density is anticipated. Core relative densities of less than two percent have been obtained. With this approach, low cost truss core structures can be made from a wide variety of heat‐treatable wrought alloys.     

Impact and post impact behavior of composite sandwich panels

Assessing the residual mechanical properties of a sandwich structure is an important part of any impact study and determines how the structure can withstand post impact loading. The damage tolerance of a composite sandwich structure composed of woven carbon/epoxy facesheets and a PVC foam core was investigated. Sandwich panels were impacted with a falling mass from increasing heights until damage was induced. Impact damage consisted of delamination and permanent indentation in the impacted facesheets. The Compression After Impact (CAI) strength of sandwich columns sectioned from these panels was then compared with the strength of an undamaged column. Although not visually apparent, the facesheet delamination damage was found to be quite detrimental to the load bearing capacity of the sandwich panel, underscoring the need for reliable damage detection techniques for composite sandwich structures.     

Mechanical Behavior of CFRP Lattice Core Sandwich Bolted Corner Joints

The lattice core sandwich structures have drawn more attention for the integration of load capacity and multifunctional applications. However, the connection of carbon fibers reinforced polymer composite (CFRP) lattice core sandwich structure hinders its application. In this paper, a typical connection of two lattice core sandwich panels, named as corner joint or L-joint, was investigated by experiment and finite element method (FEM). The mechanical behavior and failure mode of the corner joints were discussed. The results showed that the main deformation pattern and failure mode of the lattice core sandwich bolted corner joints structure were the deformation of metal connector and indentation of the face sheet in the bolt holes. The metal connectors played an important role in bolted corner joints structure. In order to save the calculation resource, a continuum model of pyramid lattice core was used to replace the exact structure. The computation results were consistent with experiment, and the maximum error was 19%. The FEM demonstrated the deflection process of the bolted corner joints structure visually. So the simplified FEM can be used for further analysis of the bolted corner joints structure in engineering.