An investigation of impact resistance of sandwich panel with basalt skin and basalt/Kevlar hybrid skin with nano silica

In this paper, the effect of nano silica on impact resistance of sandwich panels with basalt skin and hybrid sandwich panel with basalt and kevlar skin is investigated. Sandwich panels with a basalt skin consist of four layers of basalt fabric as the top and bottom skins which the foam core is located between them. Sandwich panels with a hybrid skin consist of four layers of basalt/Kevlar/Kevlar/basalt fabric as the top and bottom skins which the foam core is located between them. Kevlar fabrics with a density of 200 g /m2, basalt fabrics with a density of 350 g /m2, a polyurethane foam with a density of 140 g/cm2, EPR1080 epoxy resin and different weight percentages of nano silica were used to make sandwich panels. All panels are fabricated using Hand Lay-up method. Ultrasonic device was also used for homogenization and better dispersion of nano silica in epoxy matrix. Low velocity impact tests were performed using drop weight equipment at constant impact energy on the specimens. The results showed that the addition of nano into the sandwich panel improved the impact resistance and the maximum contact force is related to the sandwich panel with 1.1% nano silica.