DEPENDENCE OF SANDWICH DAMAGE INITIATION AND CRACK PROPAGATION ON CORE MATERIAL FRACTURE PROPERTIES

摘要

In this investigation, three-point bend tests were performed on pre-cracked and unnotched sandwich structures offering a wide range of fracture toughnesses. It has been shown that an areas-based method is the most appropriate for characterizing the fracture toughness of the sandwich structures. It has also been shown that tough core materials are less sensitive to delaminations between core and skin than their more brittle counterparts.