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.