Experimental investigation on low-velocity impact response of wood skinned sandwich composites with different core configurations

In this paper, an experimental investigation on the low-velocity impact response of wood skinned hybrid sandwich composites was presented. Several alternative design configurations were developed by using rubber-cork and E-glass composite layers between the foam core and wood skin in order to improve the impact performance of conventional sandwich composites. Low-velocity impact (LVI) testing was performed using a drop weight test machine at different impact energies and destructive cross-sectioning was performed to examine the interior damage growth and penetration depth of the specimens. The impact performance of the specimens was evaluated in terms of energy absorption capacity, maximum contact force and penetration depth. The multi-core design concept significantly improved the energy absorption capacity with a reduced extent of impact induced damage. The proportion of recyclable materials in each configuration and the energy absorption level per unit cost were also presented for the interest of product designers.