Investigation of Mechanical Behavior of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Sandwich Composites with Different Properties

Abstract

In this study, the impact and three-point bending performances of sandwich structures produced using carbon fiber-reinforced composite materials and XPS foam core with different fiber weights were investigated. Carbon fiber weighing 200 g/m² and 400 g/m² were used in sandwich structures. The reinforced layers were formed by placing four layers above and four layers below the XPS foam core. For the impact resistance test, low-speed impact tests and three-point bending tests were performed at 30 J, 50 J, and 70 J energy levels. As a result of the tests, it was determined that the increase in fiber weight has a significant effect on the impact resistance and bending strength of the materials. While the samples with a fiber weight of 200 g/m² reached a maximum force value of 1200 N under 30 J energy, the samples with a weight of 400 g/m² reached a force value of 6400 N. Similarly, at energy levels of 50 J and 70 J, heavier fiber samples provided higher maximum force and energy absorption. In three-point bending tests, samples with a fiber weight of 200 g/m² reached a maximum force value of 200 N, while samples with a weight of 400 g/m² reached up to 450 N. As a result, increasing the fiber weight significantly increased the mechanical strength and energy absorption capacity of sandwich structures, indicating that materials are a critical parameter for engineering applications.