Effect of Kevlar and Carbon Fiber Face Sheet on the Deformation Behavior of Aluminum Hybrid Composite Foam Core Sandwich Panel under Flexural Loading

In this study, different configuration of lightweight aluminum hybrid composite foam core sandwich panel using Kevlar and Carbon fibers as a face sheet has been investigated under flexural loading. The flexural rigidity (~10 times of bare foam) and flexural strength (~7 times of bare foam) were found significantly high for double layer Carbon fiber sandwich panel. Whereas the energy absorption (~22 times of bare foam) and specific energy absorption (~16 times of bare foam) is high for double layer Kevlar fiber sandwich panels. Double layer hybrid fiber sandwich panel shows inclusive properties of both double layer Kevlar fiber sandwich panels and double layer carbon fiber sandwich panels making it suitable for crashworthiness and structural application. Detailed analysis on deformation mechanism was carried out with the help of videography. The contribution of individual failure modes to flexural properties was calculated empirically and compared with experimental data. The results are encouraging for using high-performance foam-core sandwich panels in structural and blast mitigation applications.

Graphical abstract of aluminum hybrid composite foam core sandwich panel