Numerical Investigation of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer-Steel Sandwich Panel for Marine Structural Applications

In recent years, construction technology in the aerospace and maritime sectors has increasingly relied on composite materials to build cost-effective structures and to reduce weight. This study explores the potential of Steel-Composite-Steel (S-C-S) sandwich panels, comprising steel face sheets and a carbon-fiber/epoxy core, as a lighter alternative to conventional steel panels for ship hull plating. The main objective of this study is to design and evaluate Steel-Composite-Steel (S-C-S) sandwich panels of varying thicknesses, where carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) used as composite core and to reduce structural weight while maintaining or improving mechanical performance under axial and bending loads. FEA simulations were performed using ANSYS software and the numerical setup was validated through experimental data of tensile and three-point bending tests. Three steel panel configurations of 9 mm, 11 mm and 13 mm thickness were compared with their equivalent S-C-S sandwich panel configurations of 12 mm, 16 mm and 20 mm thickness respectively. The results reveal that S-C-S sandwich panels consistently exhibit lower stress under identical axial loads and higher load capacity under fixed mid-span deflection than the steel panels. These improvements are attributed to enhanced stress distribution and increased moment of inertia due to sandwich construction. Additionally, reduction of weight up to 19.75% per unit surface area was achieved for a selected configuration. The findings demonstrate that carbon fiber reinforced Steel-Composite-Steel (S-C-S) sandwich panels offer a structurally efficient and weight-optimized solution for modern shipbuilding, with strong potential for broader implementation in marine structural applications.