Abstract

Lightweight and high-performance materials are in consistent demand in the aerospace and automobile industries owing to the inherent fuel-saving benefits. In particular, the flying objects experience the impact when colliding with other objects. Hence, the usual design of composite materials in a slab or resin-impregnated sheets has failed to impart the required resistance. This research advocates the development of a sandwich structure composed of pumice particle-enriched epoxy core covered by a natural fiber-based jute woven resin-impregnated mat. The proposed sandwich structure was developed through compression molding by varying the pumice reinforcement at four levels within the core, as 0, 3, 6 and 9%. The characterization and microscopic study reveal the noticeable pores rendered by the agglomeration effect of the pumice particles. Further, the low-velocity impact results claim that the higher impact resistance for the 6 wt.% pumice inclusion is recorded by absorbing the majority of the incident impact energy. In-plane compression after the impact (CAI) test endorses the 45.5% higher compressive strength of the sandwich composite with optimal pumice inclusion than that of the neat epoxy core. The post-CAI fracture morphology confirms strong bonding between the cover sheets and core, while numerical low-velocity impact validation supports the experimental results with minimal error.