Waves of Transverse Stresses under a Plane Impact on the Surface of a Sandwich Panel (Acoustic Approximation)

The wave process arising in a sandwich panel with a free back surface under the action of a short-term dynamic load on the front surface of the upper layer (plane deformation) is investigated. The calculation procedure for displacements, rates, and stresses under a rectangular short-time pulse, whose duration does not exceed the double time of wave travel within a layer, is based on the representation of the solution to the one-dimensional wave equation in terms of characteristics. The transmission and reflection coefficients of the pressure pulses on the contact surfaces of layers with different physical properties are determined. The expressions for tensile stresses in the panel face layers and filler, which are responsible for the material failure by spalling, are presented. The stresses in relation to the geometry and dynamic parameters of the sandwich structure are analyzed. In the case of a symmetric panel structure, the stress pattern in the midlayer and on its contact boundaries is given, which takes into account the branching and superposition of pulses.