The review outlines modern trends in theoretical developments, novel designs and modern applications of sandwich structures. The most recent work published at the time of writing of this review is considered, older sources are listed only on as-needed basis. The review begins with the discussion on the analytical models and methods of analysis of sandwich structures as well as representative problems utilizing or comparing these models. Novel designs of sandwich structures is further elucidated concentrating on miscellaneous cores, introduction of nanotubes and smart materials in the elements of a sandwich structure as well as using functionally graded designs. Examples of problems experienced by developers and designers of sandwich structures, including typical damage, response under miscellaneous loads, environmental effects and fire are considered. Sample applications of sandwich structures included in the review concentrate on aerospace, civil and marine engineering, electronics and biomedical areas. Finally, the authors suggest a list of areas where they envision a pressing need in further research.

Review of current trends in research and applications of sandwich structures

A Numerical Study of Auxetic Composite Panels under Blast Loadings

Sandwich panels with auxetic lattice cores confined between metallic facets are proposed for localised impact resistance applications. Their performance under localised impact is numerically studied, considering the rate-dependent effects. The behaviour of the composite structure material at high strain rates is modelled with the Johnson-Cook model. Parametric analyses are conducted to assess the performance of different designs of the hybrid composite structures. The results are compared with monolithic panels of equivalent areal mass and material in terms of deformations and plastic energy dissipation. Design parameters considered for the parametric analyses include the auxetic unit cell effective Poisson’s ratio, thickness of the facet, material properties and radius of the unit cell’s struts. Significant reduction in computational time is achieved by modelling a quarter of the panel, with shell elements for facets and beam elements for the auxetic core. With projectile impacts up to 200 m/s, the auxet...

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1099636215618539

Three-dimensional modelling of auxetic sandwich panels for localised impact resistance:

This work presents a novel design, additive manufacturing and modeling approach of three dimensional voronoi-based composite structures that closely mimic nacre's multilayer composite structure. The hierarchical structure of natural nacre is mimicked to produce multilayer composite laminates assembled from three dimensional polygonal tablets bonded with organic adhesives. Furthermore, various complex geometries of the nacreous shells observed from the nature, such as the dome-shaped structure, are developed into three dimensional designs. A novel mapping algorithm is developed to generate complex structures of nacre-like composites that are readily fabricated by unique dual-material 3D printing technology. Preliminary 3D-printed prototypes with complex shapes and material combinations are presented. A novel numerical model of the nacreous composite is proposed, which includes tablet cohesive bonds and interlaminate adhesive layers to mimic the soft organic polymer matrix. The nacreous model is validated against a natural nacre specimen under uniaxial loading. To exemplify a potential application, a scaled model of a nacre-mimetic composite made of Aluminum tablets and Vinylester adhesive is constructed and assessed against blast-induced impulsive loading. The performance of the nacre-like composite panel is investigated in terms of deformation and energy dissipation.

Bimaterial 3D printing and numerical analysis of bio-inspired composite structures under in-plane and transverse loadings

The ballistic performance of clamped circular carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) and Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre composite plates of equal areal mass and 0/90° lay-up were measured and compared with that of monolithic 304 stainless steel plates. The effect of matrix shear strength upon the dynamic response was explored by testing: (i) CFRP plates with both a cured and uncured matrix and (ii) UHMWPE laminates with identical fibres but with two matrices of different shear strength. The response of these plates when subjected to mid-span, normal impact by a steel ball was measured via a dynamic high speed shadow moire technique. Travelling hinges emanate from the impact location and travel towards the supports. The anisotropic nature of the composite plate results in the hinges travelling fastest along the fibre directions and this results in square-shaped moire fringes in the 0/90° plates. Projectile penetration of the UHMWPE and the uncured CFRP plates occurs in a progressive manner, such that the number of failed plies increases with increasing velocity. The cured CFRP plate, of high matrix shear strength, fails by cone-crack formation at low velocities, and at higher velocities by a combination of cone-crack formation and communition of plies beneath the projectile. On an equal areal mass basis, the low shear strength UHMWPE plate has the highest ballistic limit followed by the high matrix shear strength UHMWPE plate, the uncured CFRP, the steel plate and finally the cured CFRP plate. We demonstrate that the high shear strength UHMWPE plate exhibits Cunniff-type ballistic limit scaling. However, the observed Cunniff velocity is significantly lower than that estimated from the laminate properties. The data presented here reveals that the Cunniff velocity is limited in its ability to characterise the ballistic performance of fibre composite plates as this velocity is independent of the shear properties of the composites: the ballistic limit of fibre composite plates increases with decreasing matrix shear strength for both CFRP and UHMWPE plates.

The effect of shear strength on the ballistic response of laminated composite plates

Designing lightweight high-performance materials that can sustain high impulsive loadings is of great interest for marine applications. In this study, a finite element fluid–structure interaction model was developed to understand the deformation and failure mechanisms of both monolithic and sandwich composite panels. Fiber (E-glass fiber) and matrix (vinylester resin) damage and degradation in individual unidirectional composite laminas were modeled using Hashin failure model. The delamination between laminas was modeled by a strain-rate sensitive cohesive law. In sandwich panels, core compaction (H250 PVC foam) is modeled by a crushable foam plasticity model with volumetric hardening and strain-rate sensitivity. The model-predicted deformation histories, fiber/matrix damage patterns, and inter-lamina delamination, in both monolithic and sandwich composite panels, were compared with experimental observations. The simulations demonstrated that the delamination process is strongly rate dependent, and that Hashin model captures the spatial distribution and magnitude of damage to a first-order approximation. The model also revealed that the foam plays an important role in improving panel performance by mitigating the transmitted impulse to the back-side face sheet while maintaining overall bending stiffness.

Ravi Bellur Ramaswamy

Papers

Three-dimensional numerical modeling of composite panels subjected to underwater blast