Dynamic Impact Behavior of Syntactic Foam Core Sandwich Composites

Sandwich composites and syntactic foams have historically been used in many engineering applications to meet the needs of a system. However, there has been minimal effort to take advantage of the weight saving ability of syntactic foams in the cores of sandwich composites, especially with respect to the impact response of the structure. The goal of this experimental study is to investigate the mechanical response and damage mechanisms associated with sandwich composites with syntactic foam cores. The core was manufactured using epoxy resin as the matrix and cenospheres as the reinforcement with varying volume fractions of 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60%. The sandwich composites were manufactured with the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process. Impact tests were performed on the specimens according to ASTM D7766 at two energy levels: 80J and 160J. The data from the tests was post-processed to gain quantitative understanding of the damage mechanisms present in the specimens. A qualitative understanding was obtained through MicroCT scanning imaging. The analysis showed that increasing the volume fraction of cenospheres in the syntactic foam made the damage mechanism more desirable, even at high energy levels.