The blast performance of multilayered systems

There is an enormous possibility for potential combinations of face sheet and cores, including the variation of geometry (thickness of face sheets and core), material (resin, 

Gardner et al. [42] presented test results on shock-loaded sandwich panels comprising E-glass vinyl ester face sheets and a Corecell polymeric foam core. Tests on panels with stepwise graded density cores and with PU interlayers were also examined. Digital image correlation was used to capmre the dynamic response of the panels. The results showed that polyuria core improved the performance of the panels when placed on the rear side of the panel. Core compression, face sheet delamination and core cracking were all observed. 

Fignre 13.9 Photograph of a cross-section of a blast loaded polymeric sandwich panel with glass fibre vinyl ester face sheets and a PVC foam core (Impulse = 19.1 N s, 10 g PE4 charge) [43]. 

From an aerospace perspective, the work reported in [40—43] indicates important considerations for the use of composite sandwich panels in blast-resistant apphcations. Some of the important considerations are the front face sheet thickness, the equivalence of plain composite laminates, coating technology, energy absorption characteristics of the core and the delamination resistance of the composite face sheets. 

Boeing has preferred to use fibre-reinforced composites, such as carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP), in its aircraft — a notable example being the 787. 

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