Design and verification of sandwich structures for high speed trains

Abstract

The material characterization described in the paper is aimed at the structural design of the end cub for a high speed train made of composite sandwich materials. A sandwich structure was considered, made of glass fibber polyester face sheets with a polymeric foam core. Initially, the material properties and the rate sensitivity of the skin and core materials were investigated through a series of static and quasi-static tests. For all materials tested, no significant strain-rate effects were observed over the range of test conditions investigated in the study. Results show that the structural response of the sandwich depends primarily on the strength properties of the foam core material. Sandwich peel test is intended for determining the comparative peel resistance of adhesive bonds between facing and cores of sandwich constructions tested under specified test conditions. One method, the climbing drum peel method, is most applicable when the peeled facings are relatively thin, but it can not be applicable in tested composite structures.