Core Material for Large Sandwich Structures Based on Blow Molding

摘要

A core material concept based on blow molded segments is being developed to facilitate the use of very thick sandwich panels, 8 to 24 inches (0.2 to 0.6 m) thick, and thicker. The basic concept uses an array of hollow rectangular segments arranged in a sheet, to form the core, with sandwich face skins on top and bottom in the usual way. Once the blow molded core (BMC) segments and skins are bonded together, using resin infusion (or other molding techniques) the sides of the segments form webs which act as though they were continuous; like a giant rectangular honeycomb. The purpose of this study is an initial investigation into the process-ability and shear strength properties of panels made using this approach, and to compare measured properties to model predictions. Panel thicknesses of 4 to 18 inches (0.1-0.46 m) have been demonstrated, and results are reported for 8 inch (0.2 m) thick panels in two configurations. The results look promising for making low cost thick sandwich structures.