A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF SANDWICH MATERIALS FOR NAUTICAL CONSTRUCTION

The static and dynamic properties of a series of glass fiber sandwich structures based on linear and crosslinked PVC (polyvinylchloride) and balsa wood cores have been evaluated and compared in order to determine the relative attributes of each material. Quasi-static flexural tests have shown that the PVC cores are capable of absorbing large amounts of energy failing eventually in a non-catastrophic manner at large displacements. The balsa sandwich structure, although significantly stiffer, failed in a brittle interfacial mode at low deflections. The balsa-based material was shown to offer a superior resistance to buckling and compression failure. When subjected to impact loading, the linear PVC composites exhibited a superior energy absorbing capability incurring less damage for a given impact energy and were subsequently found to absorb less water over a prolonged period of time.