Reliability-based Approach for Sandwich Composite Structural Applications

摘要

Composite sandwich structures have many advantages in engineering design, dueto their light weight and resistance to corrosion and in-service environmental conditions.Recent interest in such composite structures has increased in structural applications.Liability concerns prevent most structural engineers from considering this material,specifically, when the basis of the technical design data and long-term durabilitybehavior are still uncertain. For this purpose, several sandwich composite samples(Balsa and PVC foam) were molded and subjected to severe weathering andenvironmental conditions. Experimental tests to predict the core shear strength,compression and moduli of the sandwich structures were performed on 30 samples. TheLoad and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) method was employed and the resistancefactors of the core shear and compression strengths were developed. This workadvances the current state of the art by assisting engineers to quantify the reliability oftheir design and increase the utilization of composites as a reliable material forstructures. The results of this research will ultimately lead to a probabilistic analysismodel as well as act as a reference to guide those applying this technology.