Curved Sandwich Beams with Face-Core Debond Subjected to Bending Moment.

Curved sandwich beams subjected to opening bending moment are studied. Face-core debonds of varying size are introduced at the compressively loaded face sheet and the structural integrity is investigated. Analytical and finite element models are compared in order to identify the governing failure modes of the beams. A simple expression is presented as a tool for getting a quick estimate of the severity of an interface crack in a curved sandwich beam. Five different configurations of beams are tested experimentally in a custom made bending rig. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]