Performance of sandwich composites under sequential ballistic and blast loading

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the dynamic performance of sandwich composites with existing damage under controlled blast loading conditions. The sandwich composites consisted of Vinyl-Ester, E-glass Skins and a foam core. The existing damage was imparted using ballistic impact and the blast loading was imparted using a shock tube. During dynamic experiments high speed photography was employed to get real time information. The results showed an increase in compliance as damage levels were increased. The increase in compliance can be attributed largely to core cracking. © 2008 Society for Experimental Mechanics Inc