Compression Strength of Composite Sandwich Structures After Barely Visible Impact Damage

A simple approach to determine the compressive strength of composite sandwich structures after barely visible impact damage is presented. The damaged region of the facesheet is modeled as an inclusion area of reduced stiffness. The stress concentration caused by the damage is calculated using a classical elasticity approach. Test specimens were fabricated and tested at three environmental conditions to complement tests already available in the literature. The predictions of the present approach were compared to test results from the literature and the present study and found to be in very good agreement over a wide variety of materials and environmental conditions.