Experimental characterization and numerical simulations of a syntactic-foam/glass-fibre composite sandwich

This note presents the main results of an experimental and numerical investigation on the mechanical behaviour of a composite sandwich primarily designed for naval engineering applications. The skins of the sandwich are made of glass-fibre/polymer-matrix composites; their interior layers are connected with interwoven threads called piles which cross the sandwich core. Such core consists of a syntactic foam made by hollow glass microspheres embedded in an epoxy matrix. Experimental tests and numerical finite element (FE) simulations on both the sandwich composite and its separate components have been performed in order to characterise fully the complex mechanical behaviour of such a highly heterogeneous material. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.