Flexural Behavior of Fully Integrated 3D-Printed Sandwich Panels Versus Thermoplastic Cores with Composite Facesheets

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22084/jrstan.2025.31698.1271

Abstract

In this study, the bending behavior of sandwich structures was investigated in both integrated and separate configurations. The structures featured honeycomb and re-entrant cores made from thermoplastic materials, Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), fabricated using a 3D printer. Additionally, samples with composite facesheets, produced from glass fibers combined with chopped PLA or ABS filaments, were fabricated using a hot press machine. The composite facesheets, comprising two layers of glass fibers, were incorporated to enhance strength and resistance to environmental factors. The use of recyclable and remanufacturable structures contributes to environmental protection, pollution reduction, and lower production costs. The core dimensions were 15×50×160mm, with a facesheet thickness of 1.5mm. The weight of the sandwich structures ranged from approximately 42 to 70 grams, depending on the core geometry and facesheets used. In total, 24 samples underwent a three-point bending test, and 4 samples were subjected to a tensile test to determine the mechanical properties of the sandwich panels. The elastic modulus for PLA, ABS, composite PLA, and composite ABS samples was 2.83, 2.40, 24.71, and 23.82GPa, respectively. The bending
test results indicated that samples with re-entrant cores withstood higher loads compared to those with honeycomb cores. The maximum load-bearing capacity and energy absorption of the composite-faced samples were superior
to both the integrated and separate samples. Furthermore, the composite, separate, and integrated samples exhibited greater deflection, respectively, and failed later.

Keywords

References

[1] J. Kee Paik, A. K. Thayamballi, G. Sung Kim, (1999). Strength characteristics of aluminum honeycomb sandwich panels, Thin-Walled Struct., vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 205-231.
[2] J. H. Lee, S. H. Kang, Y. J. Ha, S. G. Hong, (2018). Structural Behavior of Durable Composite Sandwich Panels with High Performance Expanded Polystyrene Concrete, Int. J. Concr. Struct. Mater., 12(1), 14.
[3] L. Zhang, Y. Chen, R. He, X. Bai, K. Zhang, S. Ai, Y. Yang, D. Fang, (2020.). Bending behavior of lightweight C/SiC pyramidal lattice core sandwich panels, Int. J. Mech. Sci., 171, p. 105409.
[4] J. Wetzel, (2009). The impulse response of extruded corrugated core aluminum sandwich structures, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Virginia.
[5] J. M. Davies, Sandwich panels, (1993). ThinWalled Struct., 16(1-4), 179-198.
[6] A. Cherniaev, (2021). Modeling of hypervelocity impact on open cell foam core sandwich panels, Int. J. Impact Eng., 155, p. 103901.
[7] A. B. H. Kueh and Y. Y. Siaw, (2021). Impact resistance of bio-inspired sandwich beam with side-arched and honeycomb dual-core, Compos. Struct., 275, p. 114439.
[8] I. Kreja, (2011). A literature review on computational models for laminated composite and sandwich panels, Cent. Eur. J. Eng., 1(1), 59-80.
[9] Y. Hou, Y. H. Tai, C. Lira, F. Scarpa, J. R. Yates, and B. Gu, (2013). The bending and failure of sandwich structures with auxetic gradient cellular cores, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 49, 119-131.
[10] H. Yazdani Sarvestani, A. H. Akbarzadeh, H. Niknam, and K. Hermenean, (2018). 3D printed architected polymeric sandwich panels: Energy absorption and structural performance, Compos. Struct., 201, 1122-1133.
[11] R. M. Jones, (1998). Mechanics of Composite Materials, 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press.
[12] R. E. Shalin, Ed., (1998). Polymer Matrix Composites. Boston, MA, USA: Springer.
[13] M. R. Kessler, (2012). Polymer Matrix Composites: A Perspective for a Special Issue of Polymer Reviews, Polym. Rev., 52(3-4), 229-233.
[14] M. Elkington, D. Bloom, C. Ward, A. Chatzimichali, K. Potter, (2015). Hand layup: understanding the manual process, Adv. Manuf. Polym. Compos. Sci., 1(3), 138-151.
[15] R. O. Buckingham, G. C. Newell, (1996). Automating the manufacture of composite broadgoods, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., 27(3), 191-200.
[16] T. Li, L. Wang, (2017). Bending behavior of sandwich composite structures with tunable 3Dprinted core materials, Compos. Struct., 175, 46-57.
[17] M. Aadithya, V. K. Kirubakar, T. Aakash, C. Senthamaraikannan, (2020). Investigation of the tensile and flexural behavior of polylactic acid based jute fiber bio composite, Key Eng. Mater., 841, 283-287.
[18] I. Ozen, K. Cava, H. Gedikli, U. Alver, M. Aslan, (2020). Low-energy impact response of composite sandwich panels with thermoplastic honeycomb and reentrant cores, Compos. Struct., 252, p. 112699.
[19] X. Hao, H. Zhou, Y. Xie, H. Mu, Q. Wang, (2018). Sandwich-structured wood flour/HDPE composite panels: Reinforcement using a linear lowdensity polyethylene core layer,” Constr. Build. Mater., 164, 489-496.
[20] F. Habib, F. N. Habib, P. Iovenitti, S. H. Masood, M. Nikzad, (2018). Fabrication of polymeric lattice structures for optimum energy absorption using Multi Jet Fusion technology, Mater. Des., 155, 86-98.
[21] H. Xie, C. Shen, H. Fang, J. Han, W. Cai, (2022). Flexural property evaluation of web reinforced GFRP-PET foam sandwich panel: Experimental study and numerical simulation, Compos. Part B Eng., 234, p. 109725.
Journal of Stress Analysis
Volume 9, Issue 1
2025
Pages 95-108

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics