Compressive and bending behavior of foam-filled Kevlar fiber composite sandwich panel with novel lozenge core: A numerical and experimental study

The present research has addressed the flexural and compressive strength of Kevlar fiber composite sandwich panels with novel lattice core, experimentally and numerically. The composite sandwich panels and corrugated cores have been made using the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding method. Afterward, compressive and three-point bending loads were applied to the composite sandwich panels to determine mechanical performance during structural deformation. Scanning electron microscopy has been conducted on the specimens to evaluate the Kevlar-fiber distribution. In order to evaluate the experimental results, the corresponding testing process has been numerically simulated through finite element analysis. It has been figured out that the simulated model can predict the force-displacement response of the considered sandwich panels under bending and compressive loads. Finally, the effect of polyurethane foam on the composite sandwich panel's mechanical strength and energy absorption capacity has been investigated.