A TEST METHOD TO DETERMINE SHEAR IN SANDWICH-CORE COMPOSITE BEAMS

This report was initiated in order to develop a test method to determine the through-thickness shear characteristics of PVC foam cores in the presence of laminate skins. Through the development of such a method, more exact and scientific design limits may be derived. The method which is developed consists of attaching electrical resistance strain gauges directly to the PVC cores of sandwich construction composite samples and subjecting those samples to 3-point flexure. This report deals with the specific problems encountered in the development of this test method and the procedural solutions derived to deal with those problems. This report also contains the results of testing that was carried out to verify the validity of the proposed method.