Deformation behavior of Baypreg® F sandwich structures under flexural load.

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Because of their outstanding contribution to weight reduction, polyurethane sandwich structures have excellent potential for use in vehicle construction (e.g. as sliding roofs or spare wheel covers). A key parameter during product development for such applications is the deformation behavior of the sandwich structure under flexural load. This behavior can be very well documented by 4-point flexural tests, in which not only the width of the load and the distance between the supports can be varied, but also the temperature.

Based on the results of comprehensive tests, a composite material model was developed that allows a prediction of the stiffness characteristics of Baypreg® F sandwiches as a function of part thickness, core layer material and composition of the facings (polyurethane formulation, glass fiber content and glass fiber orientation etc.). With these, the parameters needed for an FEM calculation can be generated, thus enabling the optimization of complex parts to be carried out on a computer (CAE).