Behavior of Sandwich Composite Cores Under Extreme Conditions

• Main Author: Garcia Perez, Carlos Daniel
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: ScholarWorks@UTEP 2017
• Subjects: Mechanical engineering; Arctic
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI10619799

The use of composite structures for diverse applications have become of great interest for scientists and engineers thanks to the advantages that they may offer in comparison to conventional materials. In the case of sandwich composite structures, its mechanical properties can be tailored according to the necessities through the correct selection of a core and facesheets. In combination, this "new" material will have superior properties compared to traditional materials such as steel and aluminum. For arctic exploration, a core with low moisture absorption, low density, and resistance to extreme, low temperatures is desirable for this type of application. This thesis describes the process of exposing two distinct types of foam cores under arctic conditioning (-60°C) and sea water exposure in order to analyze the impact that this type of environment may have in the mechanical response of the foam cores. Polyvinyl Chloride foams cores were condition under sea water, arctic temperatures, and in combination in order to analyze its compressive response. Epoxy/Cenosphere syntactic foams were subjected to arctic temperatures followed by compression and flexural tests. It was observed that long term sea water conditioning along with arctic exposure can be detrimental to the mechanical properties of PVC foams as well as of syntactic foams.