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Closed-cell polyvinyl chloride foam (PVC) possesses many advantages, including its light weight, moisture protection, high specific strength, high specific stiffness, and low thermal conductivity, and is widely used as the core material in composite sandwich structures. It is increasingly used in fields with light weight requirements, such as shipbuilding and aerospace. Some of these structures can be affected by the action of dynamic loads during their lifespan, such as accidental or hostile blast loads as well as wind-loaded debris shocks. Examining the material properties of PVC foams under dynamic load is essential to predict the performance of foam sandwich designs. In this study, the compressive responses of a group of PVC foams with different densities were investigated under a broad range of quasi-static conditions and high strain rates using a universal testing machine and a lengthened Split Hopkinson press bar (SHPB) fabricated from titanium alloy. The results show that the mechanical properties of foam materials are related to their density and are strain rate-sensitive. The compressive strength and plateau stress of the foams were augmented with increased foam density. In the quasi-static strain rate range, the compressive strength of PVC foams at 10−1 s−1 was 27% higher than that at 10−4 s−1. With a strain rate of 1700 s−1, the strength was 107% higher than the quasi-static value at 10−4 s−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CFRP/PMI sandwich panels were experimentally studied under ice projectile impact with different incident angles and impact velocities. • The impact force of the ice projectile and the peak deformation of the target plate correlate with the ice projectile's normal velocity. • The energy absorption of the foam layer shows a quadratic positive correlation with the normal velocity of the ice projectile. The integration of composite sandwich structures in aircraft design necessitates consideration of hail impacts within aerospace applications. This investigates the dynamic response and damage characteristics of a carbon fibre/PMI foam sandwich structure under hail impact through both experimental and numerical simulation methods. These methods analyse the impact velocity, fibre panel thickness, and angle of incidence of the ice projectiles. The study establishes relationships among various parameters such as ice projectile impact force, foam absorption energy, and target plate deformation in relation to the impact velocity and angle of incidence. The damage sustained by the carbon fibre/PMI foam sandwich (CPS) structure due to ice projectile impact was systematically categorized and examined. Additionally, the effects of normal and tangential impact velocities on the target plate's dynamic response during oblique impacts were investigated. This research serves as a valuable reference for understanding the dynamic response and damage characteristics of composite foam sandwich structures subjected to ice projectile impacts, With a focus on the carbon fibre/PMI foam sandwich structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]