BEHAVIOR OF BENDING AFTER LOW VELOCITY IMPACT AND QUASI-STATIC TRANSVERSE INDENTATION OF COMPOSITE HONEYCOMB CORE SANDWICH PANELS

Pure bending tests after low velocity impact and quasi static transverse indentation tests were carried out on composite Nomex honeycomb core sandwich panels. Methods of X ray, deply and visual inspection were used to measure the damage in specimens. Bending failure behavior was studied on the sandwich panels, in which the impacted face sheet was compressed and another face sheet tensioned. The damage caused by transverse indention was compared with that by low velocity impact. The damage and rules of contact force P against indent displacement Δ h were discussed at different transverse indent speeds. Results showed that the bending strength of honeycomb core sandwich panels was reduced extensively by low velocity impact and that the Nomex honeycomb core sandwich panels were not sensitive to transverse indent speed.