Mechanical Properties of Balsa Cored Sandwich Structures with Glass/Epoxy and Fiber Metal Laminate Skins: A Comparative Study

Balsa wood is widely utilized to produce the light-weight, high-stiffness and cost effective sandwich structures for both marine and civil applications. However, balsa cored sandwich structures with fiber reinforced polymer skins are commonly susceptible to moisture attacks. Thus, the main objective of the present study is to introduce a new balsa cored sandwich structure based on the more resistant skins compared to the other conventional skins. In order to characterize the mechanical properties of these sandwich structures, a wide range of mechanical tests were undertaken on sandwich specimens made from fiber metal laminates (FMLs) in conjunction with balsa core. The conventional sandwich structures made of E-glass fiber/epoxy skins and the same balsa core were also prepared and tested for exploring the effect of skin material on the mechanical response of the balsa cored sandwich structures.