Mechanical behaviour of a syntactic foam/glass fibre composite sandwich: experimental results

This note presents the main results of an experimental investigation into the mechanical behaviour of a composite sandwich conceived as a lightweight material for naval engineering applications. The sandwich structure is formed by a three-dimensional glass fibre/polymer matrix fabric with transverse piles interconnecting the skins; the core is filled with a polymer matrix/glass microspheres syntactic foam; additional Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics extra-skins are laminated on the external facings of the filled fabric. The main features of the experimental tests on syntactic foam, skins and sandwich panels are presented and discussed, with focus on both in-plane and out-of-plane responses. This work is part of a broader research investigation aimed at a complete characterisation, both experimental and numerical, of the complex mechanical behaviour of this composite sandwich.