High velocity impact of a composite sandwich panel

Analytical solutions for the deformation response of a composite sandwich panel subjected to high velocity impact by a rigid blunt, cylindrical projectile are presented. The solution is derived from a two degrees-of-freedom model for the sandwich panel involving local indentation, core crushing and global bending/shear deformations. An example is given for a composite sandwich panel consisting of orthotropic E-glass vinyl ester facesheets and PVC H100 foam core and subjected to the high velocity impact of a blunt cylindrical projectile. The analytical solution for the local indentation and global deflection under the projectile was found to be within 15% of FEA results.