• Advanced Composite Materials
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.11-30
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• 2007

Since delamination often propagates at the interfacial layer between a surface skin and a foam core, a crack arrester is proposed for the suppression of the delamination. The arrester has a semi-cylindrical shape and is arranged in the foam core and is attached to the surface skin. Here, energy release rates and complex stress intensity factors are calculated using finite element analysis. Effects of the arrester size and its elastic moduli on the crack suppressing capability are investigated. Considerable reductions of the energy release rates at the crack tip are achieved as the crack tip approached the leading edge of the crack arrester. Thus, this new concept of a crack arrester may become a promising device to suppress crack initiation and propagation of the foam core sandwich panels.