Design and fabrication of formable CFRTP core sandwich sheets

Sandwich structures have had remarkable success in engineering applications, but their applications are mostly limited to flat panel types because of their poor formability. To expand the range of applications of sandwich structures, new formable CFRTP (carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic) core sandwich sheets are proposed, where a truncated dome core structure is designed to increase formability and structural performance. This paper first introduces the design methods followed by the fabrication processes and finally reports the flexural properties and formability of the proposed core sandwich sheets. Fabricated sandwich sheets were successfully subjected to hat bending without failure.