Mechanics of Composite Materials, cilt.56, sa.1, ss.121-130, 2020 (SCI-Expanded)
The low-velocity impact behavior of polypropylene- core-based sandwich composites reinforced with basalt/epoxy facesheets was investigated by drop-weight impact tests. The impact resistance of composite samples was characterized for various impact energies according to ASTM standards. Also, the effect of facesheet thickness was explored, and the failure and fracture surfaces around the impacted region were analyzed. It was found that the thickness of facesheets played an important role in the impact properties of the honeycombs. Their residual deformation after the impact tests increased as the impact energy grew, but decreased when the number of facesheet layers increased with reducing the penetration depth and perforation.