Three-Point Flexural Behaviour of GFRP Sandwich Composites: A Failure Map

In this work, the failure mechanisms of GFRP/PVC foam core sandwich structures subjected to three-point bending are analysed. By varying the skin thickness (t) and the span length between supports (l), experimental tests were carried out in order to find the relationship between the geometrical configuration of the sandwiches and the failure mechanism. By plotting failure mechanism on a graph of l against t, a failure map was created identifying the three typical failure mode regions of these sandwiches. The graph clearly shows the failure mode corresponding to each combination of l and t. To help optimise the use of these sandwich beams as structural elements, a theoretical failure mode map was constructed. The theoretical model results were consistent with the experimental ones, and so we can conclude that the theoretical model is a reliable predictor of failure mechanisms in sandwiches with defined geometry. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010