The effect of sea water exposure on the interfacial fracture of some sandwich systems in marine use

In this study, the fracture toughness of the sandwich systems which contain the various core materials (wood, plywood, polyurethane, coremat) have been experimentally studied by Mode-I Cracked Sandwich Beam tests. Cores of these systems, which are used widely in the boat building sector, are chosen by considering their advantages such as availability in the local market and low cost. While the fracture toughness of the systems with the wood, plywood and polyurethane core materials are too low, it is seen that the fracture toughness of the system with coremat is high compared with the counterparts. The effect of the environmental degradation on the fracture toughness has also been investigated by means of pre-conditioning with sea water. While the fracture toughnesses of the sandwich systems with wood and plywood cores have been decreased, the others' have been increased under the environmental effect of the sea water. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.