An Experimental and numerical investigation on low velocity impact properties of sandwich panels with bilateral connection

Large and/or complicated sandwich structures are often manufactured by connecting pre-fabricated sandwich panels by means of connections, adhesive or bolts. In nearly all sandwich constructions certain types of joints have to be used for assembly but little is known about their mechanical behavior. This paper deals with the investigation of the behavior of two aluminum joints with different geometries under low velocity impact tests. These two joints are used to connecting sandwich panels with glass-epoxy skins and aluminum honeycomb core. The joints and sandwich panels are connected by means of epoxy resin. After construction of the specimens, low velocity impact tests were performed on the specimens. Finite element analysis were used to simulate the behavior of sandwich panels with connection. Verification of the numerical results was performed by comparing the numerical and experimental results. There was a good compliance between numerical and experimental results. Also, the effect of increasing the length and the thickness of the connections on the behavior of the sandwich panel was done through a parametric study using the FEM model.