Techno Press
Techno Press

Steel and Composite Structures
  Volume 58, Number 4, February 25 2026 , pages 459-476
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/scs.2026.58.4.459
 


Investigation of the effect of Kevlar and glass fibers on the flexural and impact behavior of sandwich composite panels with a rubberized cork core
Hadi Rezghi Maleki, Masoud Roustaei, Pooya Parvandeh, Dursun Meriç, Hasan Gedikli

 
Abstract
     This study investigated the effect of fiber type on the mechanical behavior of sandwich composite structures with a rubberized cork core. The specimens were fabricated using Kevlar/epoxy and glass/epoxy as face sheets, while a low-density, energy-absorbing rubberized cork was used as the core material in all samples. The manufacturing process was carried out through hand lay-up, followed by pressing and oven curing to ensure proper bonding and final mechanical strength. To evaluate the mechanical performance, the samples underwent standard three-point flexural and low-velocity impact tests. The flexural test results indicated that although both types of composites exhibited suitable elastic behavior in the initial stages, their ultimate flexural strength was relatively low, with failure occurring under moderate loads. In impact tests, Kevlar/epoxy face sheet samples demonstrated higher impact resistance and suffered relatively less damage, whereas glass/epoxy samples showed greater vulnerability and experienced larger deformations. Analysis of force-time, force-displacement, and energy absorption curves revealed that the cellular structure of cork played a crucial role in preventing full penetration and effectively absorbing part of the impact energy.
 
Key Words
    flexural property; glass fibers; Kevlar fibers; low-velocity impact; rubberized cork core
 
Address
Hadi Rezghi Maleki:Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab, Iran

Masoud Roustaei:Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Pooya Parvandeh:Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Dursun Meriç:Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey

Hasan Gedikli:Department of Mechanical Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
 

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