Effect of the core thickness on the flexural behaviour of polymer foam sandwich structures

In this study, the effect of the core thickness of the sandwich composite on its flexural strength was investigated. E-glass fibre reinforced epoxy-based laminates were used as the skin materials whereas a polyurethane foam was used as the core material with varying thickness of 5, 7, and 9 mm. The experimental/theoretical and FEA analysis were carried out. Results indicated that as core thickness increased, the axial face stresses/core shear stresses and total deformation decreased. This improved the composite structural properties. This improvement was accompanied by a minor increase in weight. A good concurrence was observed between theoretical and FEA results. These results allow us to compare and select optimum parameters for aerospace applications.