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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/L55261/01
Title: SKIN-CORE DEBONDING IN COMPOSITE SANDWICH STRUCTURES
Principal Investigator: Cantwell, Professor W
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Hexcel Composites Ltd Pre Nexus Migration
Department: Materials Science & Eng
Organisation: University of Liverpool
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 October 1997 Ends: 30 September 2000 Value (£): 57,532
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Aerospace, Defence and Marine
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Sandwich structures are currently finding use in a wide variety of load-bearing aerospace, rail and marine structures. When subjected to dynamic loading conditions such as those resulting from blast, wave slamming and impact, these materials frequently fail in an interfacial mode involving thepropagation of large delaminations at the skin-core interface. Recently, a technique has been developed to characterise the interfacial fracture properties of sandwich materials at impact rates of strain. This proposal seeks to develop and apply this technique to investigate the fracture behaviour of a number of marine and aerospace-grade sandwich structures under a wide range of thermo-mechanical loading conditions. Tests will be undertaken at different loading rates, temperatures and moisture conditions in order to examine the behaviour of these materials over the range extreme conditions likely to be encountered during operational service. The dynamic response of more representative structures will be investigated by conducting impact tests on large panels.
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Organisation Website: http://www.liv.ac.uk