Sea Water Effects on Foam-Cored Sandwich Structures

Sea Water Effects on Foam-Cored Sandwich Structures 

However, like all other polymers and polymeric composites, sandwich lay-ups absorb water and are therefore susceptible to hydrothermal property degradations. The effects of sea water and humidity, in combination with temperature, are therefore of particular interest for naval structures since they are subjected to sustained exposures to these environments. 

The evaluation of degradation in material properties is focused on the foam, the facings, and the foam/facing interface. That interface consists of a resin-rich region that bonds foam and facings together. 

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