Sandwich panel

About: Sandwich panel is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4665 publications have been published within this topic receiving 49812 citations.

Non-linear thermal response of sandwich panels with a flexible core and temperature dependent mechanical properties

Abstract: The paper presents the geometrical non-linear response of unidirectional sandwich panels with a “soft” core subjected to thermally induced deformation type of loading, which may be fully distributed or localized. The mathematical formulation incorporates the effects of the flexibility of the core in the vertical direction as well as the effects of the temperature dependent mechanical properties of the constituent materials on the non-linear behavior. The non-linear governing equations are derived using a variational approach following the approach of the high-order sandwich panel theory (HSAPT). The features of the non-linear response are presented through a numerical study that discusses the effects of localized reinforced cores and the mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion of the constituent core materials; the effects of continuous panels in the presence of immovable supports; the effects of localized thermal loading with temperature dependent material properties and, finally, the interaction of mechanical and thermal loading on the response with and without immovable supports and temperature dependent material properties. An important conclusion of the study is that the interaction between mechanical loads, temperature induced deformations, and degradation of the mechanical properties due to elevated temperatures, may seriously affect the structural integrity.

Experimental and computational investigations on fire resistance of GFRP composite for building facade

Abstract: Composite materials such as glass fibre reinforced polymers (GFRPs) possess the advantages of high strength and stiffness, as well as low density and highly flexible tailoring; therefore, their potential in replacing conventional materials (such as concrete, aluminium and steel) in building facade has become attractive. This paper addresses one of the major issues that hinder the extensive use of composite structures in the high-rise building industry, which is the fire resistance. In this study, a fire performance enhancement strategy for multilayer composite sandwich panels, which are comprised of GFRP composite facets and polyethylene foam core, is proposed with the addition of environmentally friendly, fire retardant unsaturated polyester resins and gel-coats. A series of burning experimental studies including thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and single burning item (SBI) are carried out on the full scale composite sandwich as well as on single constituents, providing information regarding heat release rate, total heat release, fire growth rate, and smoke production. Experimental results are compared with fire safety codes for building materials to identify the key areas for improvements. A fire dynamic numerical model has been developed in this work using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to simulate the burning process of composite structures in the SBI test. Numerical results of heat production and growth rate are presented in comparison with experimental observations validating the computational model and provide further insights into the fire resisting process. Parametric studies are conducted to investigate the effect of fire retardant additives on the fire performance of the composite sandwich panel leading to optimum designs for the sandwich panel.