On mechanical behavior of looped fabric reinforced foam sandwich

Looped fabric reinforced foam sandwich (U-cor) is a new type of composites. Its loop in Z direction can be effectively embedded in the foam core, so that the interface mechanical properties can be apparently improved. In this paper, the micro-mechanical model of U-cor was built. A simulation of damage evaluation and strength analysis was carried out on this model by using ABAQUS software. Specimens were made to perform tests under flatwise tension and shear loadings. Experimental results reveal that the drawback of traditional 2D sandwich structures under flatwise tension and shear loadings is overcome. Agreement of results obtained by finite element method and tests verifies the correctness of the analytical method.