Comparative study of carbon fabric reinforced and glass fabric reinforced thin sandwich panels under impact and static loading

In this paper, composite and hybrid composite materials were prepared using the hand lay-up method, with carbon, glass, and Kevlar fabrics as the reinforcing materials and epoxy as a matrix. The tensile test was performed to determine the optimal ratio of epoxy resin in carbon fabric/epoxy, glass fabric/epoxy, and Kevlar fabric/epoxy composites in terms of tensile properties. It was found that the optimal ratio of epoxy in terms of tensile properties to impregnate the used Kevlar fabric, glass fabric, and carbon fabric was around 45%wt, 3%wt, and 30 %wt, respectively. The effect of fabric content and stacking sequences, with a fixed epoxy content, on the hybrid composites’ tensile properties were also investigated. The tensile properties of the prepared composites were compared to determine the most favorable preparation conditions for obtaining a hybrid laminate that has high tensile properties and is suitable for a wide range of applications at a low cost.

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Mechanical behavior of sandwich panels with hybrid face sheets and embedded super-elastic SMA wires under quasi-static loading: An experimental investigation

International Journal of Damage Mechanics ◽

10.1177/1056789520953465 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 105678952095346

Author(s):

SA Masoudi Moghaddam ◽

M Yarmohammd Tooski ◽

M Jabbari ◽

AR Khorshidvand

Keyword(s):

Hybrid Composite ◽

Static Loading ◽

Testing Machine ◽

Sandwich Panels ◽

Front Face ◽

Loading Test ◽

Damage Level ◽

Static Loading Test ◽

Force Displacement ◽

Composite Face

In this paper the experimental behavior of sandwich panels with hybrid composite face sheets and SMA wires under quasi-static loading test was investigated. The square-shaped sandwich panel was composed of a foam core and hybrid composite face sheets consisted of carbon-epoxy and glass-epoxy laminates, in which pre-strained super-elastic SMA wires were placed between the laminates. Sandwich panels had three types of layouts, with symmetric and asymmetric face sheets and with or without the SMA wires between the layers of the faces of the panel. The panels were subjected to quasi-static loading using the Universal testing machine Zwick 250H. The response of quasi-static loading was presented as force-displacement diagrams for sandwich panels. Moreover, the damage morphology of panels after quasi-static loading test was presented by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the damaged surfaces of the panels were estimated by active infrared thermography of the damage surface. Through comparing the damage level on the sandwich panels, the effect of the presence of the SMA wires, as well as the symmetry or asymmetry of the panel surfaces in reinforcing the structure and reducing the level of damage caused by quasi-static loading were investigated. The comparison of the behavior of the panels under the quasi-static loading test indicated that the use of SMA wires in the front face and the asymmetry of the surfaces were more effective and reinforced by applying more carbon layers in the back face to increase panel resistance.

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