The low velocity impact response of foam-based sandwich panels

Testing has shown that the perforation resistance of the plain foams and their sandwich panels is strongly dependent on the properties of the foam core. For example, increasing the density of the crosslinked PVC foams from 60 to 200 kg/m3 yielded an eight fold increase in the perforation resistance of the sandwich panels. At intermediate and higher densities, the crosslinked PVC foams and their associated sandwich structures offered a superior perforation resistance to their linear PVC counterparts. The FE analysis reasonably predicted the impact load-displacement responses and the perforation energies of both the plain foams and the sandwich panels. Finally, it has been shown that sandwich panels impacted in an aqueous environment offer a lower perforation resistance than those tested in air.