Sandwich-structured composite
special class of composite materials; fabricated by attaching two thin but stiff skins to a lightweight but thick core
In materials science, a sandwich-structured composite is a special class of composite material that is fabricated by attaching two thin-but-stiff skins to a lightweight-but-thick core. The core material is normally of low strength, but its greater thickness provides the sandwich composite with high bending stiffness with overall low density.
Open- and closed-cell-structured foams like polyethersulfone, polyvinylchloride, polyurethane, polyethylene, or polystyrene foams, balsa wood, syntactic foams, and honeycombs are commonly used core materials. Sometimes, the honeycomb structure is filled with other foams for added strength. Open- and closed-cell metal foams can also be used as core materials.
Laminates of glass- or carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics or thermoset polymers (unsaturated polyesters, epoxies, etc.) are widely used as skin materials. Sheet metal is also used as skin material in some cases.
The core is bonded to the skins with an adhesive or, with metal components, by brazing.
History
A summary of the important developments in sandwich structures is given below.
230 BCE – Archimedes describes the laws of levers and a way to calculate density.
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