Effect of Manufacturing Process on Free Vibration of Foam-Core Sandwich Plate

In this paper, the effect of the manufacturing process on free vibration modes of foam-core sandwich plate were experimentally identified from frequency response tests. Three types of foam-core sandwich plate that fabricated by using hand lay-up, vacuum bagging and vacuum infusion process were tested and compared. The responses were made at selected locations on the plate surface by attaching a single-axis accelerometer to measure out-of-plane response. Resonant frequencies, relative damping ratios and mode shapes were established for the lowest 3 out-of-plane modes found in the frequency range of 0-900 Hz. The results show that the vibration characteristics were affected by the fabrication process of the sandwich structure.