Finite Element Study on the Influence of Shear Key Diameter on the Shear Performance of Composite Sandwich Panel with PU Foam Core

摘要

This paper presents the main results of the numerical investigation on the shear behaviour of a composite sandwich primarily designed for naval engineering applications. The skins of the sandwich are made of glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites, while the core is made of polyurethane (PU) foam. Experimental tests and finite element (FE) simulations on both the composite sandwich and its separate components have been performed in order to characterise fully the complex mechanical behaviour of such a highly heterogeneous material. This paper presents the incorporation of semi-circular shear keys inserted between the skin and the foam core to improve the shear performance and skin-core debonding resistance for sandwich panels with foam core. The suggested design was numerically investigated to select the most effective diameter for the shear key under in-plane shear load. For all investigated sandwich model configurations the suggested shear keys were able to stop skin-core debonding and to redirect it to diagonal orientation with a significant improvement in the overall shear performance.