Abstract
The phenomenon of wrinkling as a failure mode of sandwich composite structures under compression is examined using analysis verified by testing. Two cases are considered. In the first case, the facesheets are assumed flat and the wrinkling compression load is determined as a buckling load along with the associated short wavelength. This solution is then compared to finite element predictions and is shown to be in very good agreement. In the second case, the facesheets are assumed to have a wavy shape of known amplitude and wavelength. The various failure modes possible (core tension, compression or shear, adhesive tension or shear, and facesheet bending) are modeled in an effort to predict failure. Test specimens were fabricated and the waviness of the facesheets was measured. The specimens were then tested in compression. Reasonable agreement was found with theoretical predictions.
