Strength Assessment of Composite Panels Under Dynamic Loading

Escalating demand for land and high rise construction leads to augmentation of lighter construction. Abating total dead load of the structure is a primal need in earthquake prone areas. In the past few decades composite panels consisting of hollow honeycombed structure have been used as a filling material in many structures. Due to ease in construction and availability, it can be used in disaster struck areas for fast track construction. It light weight makes it a viable choice for construction in seismic zones, which leads to lesser damage and loss of life compared to convectional construction materials. The sandwich panel is a composition of weak core material bonded with stiffer panel on both ends. It has low density and high energy absorption hence used as energy absorbers of high efficiency. In the present study, strength assessment of composite panels is carried numerically and validated experimentally. Numerical simulation using finite element (FE) model is carried out to understand deformation patterns under impact loading. Two tests for assessment of composite panels under impact and bending loads are carried out. Peak load and energy absorption characteristics are established. Through critical observation it was found that type of loading and aspect ratio plays an important role in determining usage of composite panels as structural components in disaster mitigation scenarios.