STATIC BEHAVIOR OF A PVC FOAM COMPOSITE SANDWICH PANEL

This paper reports a study on the static and creep behaviour of a new type of sandwich panel manufactured with a PVC foam in the core and tw o skins of fibre glass composite laminate. The skins and the foam are also linked by a fibre glass tie located in the centre of the panel. A series of experimental tests was performed in four point bending to e valuate the flexural properties and creep behaviour at room temperatur e. The skins were also tested in monotonic loading in tension and in c reep tension. Within the range of crosshead speeds studies, only a sli ght influence was observed of the stiffness and strength of the skins in tension. The creep strain versus time curves for skins and panels h as shown two distinct regions. For both cases, the primary creep was v ery short. The stiffness parameter E of the panels and skins was evalu ated during the creep tests where a linear dependence of creep strain against logarithm of the time was observed.