Mechanical performance of marine sandwich panels comprising E-glass/vinyl ester face sheets and perforated poly-vinyl chloride foam core was evaluated and compared with conventional foam core sandwich panels. Circular holes through the foam core thickness were drilled with 12 different arrangements in square patterns and the holes were filled with the resin during the infusion process which created the through-the-thickness solid resin pins. The effect of each pattern on the flatwise compression and core shear properties of the sandwich panels were experimentally investigated. The three-point bending maximum failure load of perforated foam core sandwich panels was increased over 133.8% by increasing the diameter of the resin pins at the expense of increased panel weight up to 67%. The flatwise compression stress to induce core crushing was significantly increased by reinforcing the resin pins.

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

No abstract

No abstract

The aim of this study was to improve four-point bending performance of foam core sandwich composite beams by applying various core machining configurations. Sandwich composites have been manufactured using perforated and grooved foam cores by vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding method with vinyl-ester resin system. The influence of grooves and perforations on the mechanical performance of marine sandwich composite beams was investigated under four-point bending test considering the weight gain. Bending strength and effective bending stiffness increased up to 34% and 61%, respectively, in comparison to a control beam without core modification. Analytical equations were utilised for calculating the mid-span deflection, equivalent bending stiffness and ultimate bending strength of the sandwich beams. Finite element analysis was also performed to analyse the flexural response of the specimens taking into account the combined effect of orthotropic linear elasticity of the face sheet and the non-linear behaviour of the foam core.