Experimental Investigation On Sandwich Composite Made of Expanded Perlite/Epoxy Based Core And JFRP & CF As Skin

Abstract

A novel sandwich structure is fabricated consisting of an expanded perlite/epoxy-based core and jute fiber reinforced polymer (JFRP) & Carbon Fiber (CF) as skin. In situ sandwiching technique during compression molding was adopted for manufacturing the structure. JFRP & CF skin was made separately using the hand lay-up method and the core density of the sandwich composite was varied using various compaction ratio. The flexural and compressive properties are investigated along with the varying core to investigate the hardness & Energy absorption of the skin . The performance of the sandwich structure in flexure and compression is affected by the core density .The load-carrying capacity of the sandwich structure was increased about 1.5-1.91 times with an increasing to investigate the hardness & Energy absorption of the skin from 2 to 3. Hardness and Energy absorption The flexural failure of the sandwich composite was initiated from the core of the flexural specimen (core shear failure) and then delamination of the skin. During compression, the strength and the energy absorption are both enhanced significantly by the increment the of core density .