Impact Performance and Flexural Behavior of Composite Sandwich Structures in Low Temperature Arctic Conditions

Advanced composite materials play vital structural roles in automotive, aerospace and marine industries. Recently, reduction in arctic sea ice region over the last three decades has opened new sailing routes which are more efficient and economical. This has resulted in the increased use of marine and naval vessels in extreme low temperature arctic conditions. The fundamental challenge of operating in such cold and harsh environment lies in the understanding of how materials and structures behave and perform in extreme low temperature. Composite sandwich structures far exceeds classical composite laminates in terms of flexural capability and performance. In this study, we experimentally investigate the impact and post-impact bending response of Divinycell H-100 foam core sandwich panel with woven carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) facesheets. Specimens were conditioned and impacted over a temperature range (from room temperature down to -70°C). Results show that exposure to low temperature generally causes more severe damage in the specimens. Post-mortem inspection using x-ray micro-computed tomography revealed complex failure mechanisms in the composite facesheets (such as matrix crack, delamination and fiber breakage) and foam core (core crushing, core shearing and interfacial debonding).