Simulation of quasi-static impact response of flat marine grade foam-filled composite sandwich Hull panels

Abstract

Composite sandwich structures provide superior strength-to-weight ratio benefits when compared to counterpart composite laminates. The core of a composite sandwich structure contributes towards increasing the second moment of area of the structure and therefore its overall flexural rigidity. The top and bottom facesheets resist the compressive and tensile stresses due to an out-of-plane loading condition. Despite this structural superiority with respect to composite laminates, the applications of composite sandwich structures are usually limited to secondary non-critically loaded components due to the complexity of their impact response.