Prediction of crushing morphology of GRP composite sandwich panels under edgewise compression

This paper describes the use of finite element analysis (FEA) for the simulation of the crushing response of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) composite sandwich panels aimed to absorb collision energy. FEA was employed to predict the failure mode associated with the geometry of a triggering mechanism that was introduced in the foam-cored sandwich panels, and for analyses of the influence of the specimens' aspect ratio on the specific energy absorption of these panels. The formulated numerical models were found to be effective in reproducing the failure mode and crush zone morphology experimentally observed. The numerical results predicted a trigger geometry that marks the transition from catastrophic buckling failure to progressive crushing and showed that there is not an apparent trend between the aspect ratio of the panels and their specific energy absorption. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.