High-speed impact analysis of reinforced GFRP sandwich structure with lattice core using experimental and finite element methods

High-speed impact behaviour of composite sandwich panels reinforced by nano-SiO2 has been studied in the present article. The sandwich panels were manufactured by glass/fibre epoxy composite face sheets and an M-shaped core using the vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) method. To enhance the mechanical strength of the matrix, especially impact resistance, the nanoparticles were added to the resin epoxy matrix as filler. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilised to observe the microscopic structure of the composites. The experimental results indicated that adding 1–3 wt-% of nano-SiO2 into the matrix remarkably increased the impact resistance of the composite. In order to validate the results, the experimental data were compared to the finite element models, and good agreement was observed.