Abstract
This paper reports a study on the static and creep behaviour of a new type of sandwich panel manufactured with a PVC foam in the core and two skins of fibre glass composite laminate. The skins and the foam are also linked by a fibre glass tie located in the centre of the panel. A series of experimental tests was performed in four point bending to evaluate the flexural properties and creep behaviour at room temperature. The skins were also tested in monotonic loading in tension and in creep tension. Within the range of crosshead speeds studies, only a slight influence was observed of the stiffness and strength of the skins in tension. The creep strain versus time curves for skins and panels has shown two distinct regions. For both cases, the primary creep was very short. The stiffness parameter E of the panels and skins was evaluated during the creep tests where a linear dependence of creep strain against logarithm of the time was observed.
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