EFFECT OF DIVIDED CORE ON THE BENDING PERFORMANCES OF TEXTILE REINFORCED FOAM CORE SANDWICH COMPOSITES

Abstract

Sandwich composites are generally used in marine applications, wind turbines, space and aircraft vehicles due to their high bending rigidities in addition to their lighter weights. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of divided foam core and interlayer sheet of glass fabric on the bending performances of sandwich composites which are manufactured with glass fabrics as the facesheets/interlayer sheets and PVC foam as the core material. Sandwich composites with single and divided core are manufactured and compared in terms of flexural behavious via three point bending tests. It is found that the bending performance is enhanced with the use of divided core and using divided core does not affect the behaviour of the sandwich composite against bending deformations. In the case of the plain core sandwich composite, dividing the core is advised for certain applications rather than perforating the core to increase the bending stiffness and strength of the textile reinforced sandwich composites because it is possible to purchase core with any thickness and there is no need for additional process such as perforation. The proposed application could enhance the bending performances without altering the weight and cost of the sandwich composites, which are preferred due to their higher bending rigidities in relation to their lighter weights.

Keywords

• Sandwich composite
• Glass
• Fabric
• PVC foam