Flexural creep behavior of sandwich panels containing Kraft paper honeycomb core and wood composite skins

Flexural creep behavior is an important performance related characteristic for sandwich panels used as products, such as kitchen bench tops, table legs, and bookshelves. In order to characterize the creep behavior of the sandwich panels with Kraft paper honeycomb core and wood composite skins, a series of creep tests were carried out under a constant three-point bending. The sandwich panels contained different types of core and skin materials as well as various core and skin thicknesses. The flexural creep deflection as a function of time for each type of sandwich panel was measured. The results show that the flexural creep behavior of the sandwich panel is affected by honeycomb core shape, core and skin thickness, and skin material type.

► Flexural creep of sandwich panels containing Kraft paper honeycomb core and wood composite skins were measured. ► Honeycomb core shape and orientation mainly affected the panels’ flexural creep deflection rate in the primary creep stage. ► The influence of the shelling ratio on the flexural creep deflection rate of the sandwich panels was mainly in the secondary stage and was also dependent on the core thickness. ► The influence of the sandwich panel skins on the creep behavior was varied.