Experimental and numerical analysis of an innovative GFRP sandwich floor panel under point load

A new glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sandwich panel has been developed for flooring system. The new panel is made of modified phenolic core and E-CR glass skins. This paper presents the results of the experimental behaviour and the non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) of the GFRP sandwich panel. The experimental works investigate the behaviour of the GFRP sandwich panel, skin–core interaction, and core behaviour. A non-linear finite element model was developed to simulate the behaviour of the skin–core interaction, and the model was verified by comparing the results with those obtained from testing. The non-linear FE model was applied to a single span GFRP sandwich floor panel under point load test. The GFRP sandwich floor panel demonstrated a linear behaviour under point load. The results of the numerical simulations show a good agreement with the experimental results.

► We tested an existing innovative GFRP sandwich panel and its components.
► Experimental assessment of the skin–core interaction.
► Non-linear modelling of the materials and the overall GFRP sandwich panel.
► Comparison showed that the non-linear model gives a good outcome.