Deformation and energy absorption of composite sandwich beams

Experimental observations and data are employed to elucidate the effect of indenter size on the deformation and energy absorption of composite sandwich beams. Unlike metal face sheets that yield and plastically deform to create an intact indentation zone; composite face sheets tend to fail in a brittle manner resulting in fibre breakage that leads to widespread fracture. This mode of failure can dictate how the load is transferred throughout the structure and directly affect the energy absorption character of the composite sandwich beam. Quasi-static and low velocity impact (LVI) three-point bending experiments with various indenter diameters were conducted to observe the interaction between indenter and face sheet and the energy absorption properties. The results are compared with existing analytical expressions