Influences of dispersion types and area densities of chopped fiber‐based interfacial reinforcements on mechanical properties of sandwich structures

Chopped carbon fibers with different dispersion types (colony type and uniform type) and area densities were inserted at sandwich beams, consisting of a PVC foam core covered with two glass fiber/epoxy composite face sheets. The effects of this reinforcement on the interfacial bonding between PVC foam core and glass fiber face sheets were evaluated. Their mechanical properties were measured by three‐point‐bending and Charpy impact tests. Their structures after mechanical failure were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Compared with the beam without interfacial reinforcement, the bending strength, energy absorption, and impact strength after interfacial reinforcement using 20 g/m² uniform chopped fibers increased by up to 109%, 184%, and 47%, respectively, surpassing those of other chopped fiber mats. The weight percentage of carbon fibers/sandwich structure was less than 1%, so the chopped carbon fiber interleave had both cost effectiveness and outstanding structural performance. The improvement of interlayer toughness can mainly be attributed to the fiber bridging structure and the interlayer strength. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E449–E455, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers