Impact response and compression-after-impact properties of foam-core sandwich composites incorporating scrap tyre rubber particles

Integrating scrap rubber particles as fillers into polymer matrix composites offers a cost effective and environmentally sustainable pathway to manage tyre waste through the creation of value-added products. This research explores the low-velocity impact (LVI) response and compression after impact (CAI) properties of rubberised foam-core glass fibre-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) sandwich composites. Syntactic foam cores integrated with rubber particles were manufactured using vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM). The compression properties of rubberised foam core, vital for resisting impact damage during LVI, were examined. Results show more than 40% reduction in compression strength and modulus of the syntactic foam upon the inclusion of 33 wt.% rubber particles. The LVI response and residual compression properties of rubberised foam-core composites were also evaluated. Rubberised foam cores caused a marginal reduction in the peak impact force and led to approximately 60% reduction in the delamination area. The pre-impact compression strength was unaffected by rubber particles within the core as the GFRE face sheets carried most of the compression load. Post-impact compression strength was slightly higher in rubberised foam-core composites due to reduced delamination. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis tracking of the strain evolution during CAI experiments revealed the stress-raising effect of the impact damaged region. This study showcases sustainable scrap tyre management through the inclusion of rubber particles into foam-core composites without substantially reducing in-plane compression properties before or after low-velocity impact.