Experimental study on dynamic behaviour of sandwich beam with composite skin and foam core

Abstract

In the present work, a comparative experimental study is conducted on sandwich beams with foam core and Glass Fiber reinforced Epoxy composite (GFRC) skins. Here two types of supporting conditions i.e. a) simple supported b) clamped-clamped are considered for the study. Four sandwich beams with foam core and composite skins with different fiber orientations have been fabricated. The vibration responses have been plotted using the experimental data of frequencies and amplitudes using Matlab to depict the behaviour of the beams. From the graphs, the effect of fiber orientations and supporting conditions have been observed. As the mass of the beam is same, the stiffness changes with GF orientations and supporting conditions, the behaviour of the beam is studied under forced vibrations which gave the clear picture of the applicability and suitability of the said beams keeping in view the present-day engineering applications like rail, road, aerospace and special purpose structures.