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Influence of Through-thickness Stitching on the Fracture Behavior of Sandwich Composites
Abstract
Sandwich composites are being used in primary and secondary load bearing structures due to their high stiffness and strength to weight ratios. These structures have superior flexural rigidity due to a light-weight internal core that is bonded to thin, rigid composite facesheets. However, debonding between the core and facesheets in sandwich panels can occur at relatively low out-of-plane loads due to low interfacial strength. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of through-thickness stitching to reduce the facesheet to core separation. Sandwich composites were fabricated from 110 kg/m3 perforated foam core with carbon/epoxy facesheets. Stitched dry preforms were cured using a one-sided vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process with an out-of-autoclave resin system. Single cantilever beam tests were performed in accordance with ASTM STD D5528-13. During each test, the crack growth was visually recorded with a digital image correlation system. After initial propagation, a 25% reduction in the crack growth and a 50% increase in the sustained load was realized for the stitched sandwich composite. The load-displacement response and fracture energy of the stitched and unstitched sandwich composites are discussed.
DOI
10.12783/asc34/31393
10.12783/asc34/31393
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