Mechanical behaviour of a syntactic foam/glass fibre composite sandwich

This note presents the main results of an experimental investigation into the mechanical<br />behaviour of a composite sandwich conceived as a lightweight material for naval engineering applications.<br />The sandwich structure is formed by a three-dimensional glass fibre/polymer matrix fabric with transverse<br />piles interconnecting the skins; the core is filled with a polymer matrix/glass microspheres syntactic foam;<br />additional Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics extra-skins are laminated on the external facings of the filled<br />fabric. The main features of the experimental tests on syntactic foam, skins and sandwich panels are<br />presented and discussed, with focus on both in-plane and out-of-plane responses. This work is part of a<br />broader research investigation aimed at a complete characterisation, both experimental and numerical, of<br />the complex mechanical behaviour of this composite sandwich.