A Study on Mode I Interlaminar Fracture Toughness of Foam Core Sandwich Structures

This paper investigates the characteristics of interlaminar fracture toughness of foam core sandwich structures under opening mode by using the double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens which are Carbon/Epoxy and foam core composites. Instead of using a DCB specimen of symmetric geometry, a non-symmetric DCB specimen was used to calculate the interlaminar fracture toughness. Three approaches for calculating the energy release rate(G$\sub$IC/) were used and fracture toughness of foam core sandwich structures made by autoclave, vacuum bagging and hotpress were compared. Experiment, analysis using nonlinear beam bending theory, and numerical work by FEM methods were performed. Bonding surface compensation and equivalent moment of inertia were used to calculate the energy release rate in nonlinear analytical work. Conclusions of experimental, nonlinear analytical and FEM methods were compared. It is, also, shown that the vacuum bagging forming can substitute the method of autoclave without serious loss of Mode I energy release rate(G$\sub$I/).