Journal of Composite Materials, cilt.49, sa.11, ss.1315-1329, 2015 (SCI-Expanded)
© The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of core material and its thickness on impact behavior of sandwich composite plates subjected to low-velocity impact, experimentally. Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foams were selected as the core material, having approximate density of 65 kg/m3 and 60 kg/m3, respectively, and thicknesses of 5, 10, and 15 mm. The stacking sequence of the sandwich composites is [±45°/0°/90°/core/90°/0°/∓45°]. Impact tests were carried out by using Ceast 9350 Fractovis Plus impact testing machine under room temperature. Various impact energies were selected ranging from 10 J to 70 J to analyze the impact energy level. The dimensions of the specimens are 100 mm × 100 mm. After the impact tests, contact-force deflection curves and also maximum contact force, maximum contact time, and maximum deflection versus impact energy curves were obtained for mentioned impact energies for sandwich composites with PVC and PET foams and [±45°/0°/90°]s-laminated composites. As a result, it is seen that the core material and its thickness have notable effects on the impact behavior of sandwich composite plates. Sandwich composites also have higher absorbed energy, penetration, and perforation thresholds.