Stability of the Face Layer of Sandwich Structures with a Local Interlaminar Damage

The effect of a local interlaminar damage on the stability of the face layer of composite sandwich beams is investigated. Mathematical models are proposed for estimating the critical compressive stresses for two typical types of damage. Experimental and numerical data are obtained for two types of materials (with glass-fiber-reinforced plastics as face layers and Rohacell WF51 and Divinycell H60 foams as the core). The analytical results agree well with the experimental data.