Handbook of Sandwich Construction

Years of joint efforts between universities, research institutes and industry in the Nordic countries

have been spent on research into different aspects of sandwich constructions. However, it is

generally agreed that a major obstacle for further growth of the structural concept of sandwich

construction is not only the lack of specialist knowledge requiring increased means for research

but perhaps even more the need for the broad mass of engineers and designers in the industry to

learn more about the fundamentals and get insight into a wider spectrum of the concept. Most

engineers are very skilled and experienced in the design and materials selection process of metal

and composite structures, but lack the fundamental theory, experience and confidence in sandwich

design. The fact that many materials used in sandwich structures, especially the core materials, are

new and little known of by many people, just increases the speciousness. Although there are still

many areas in which considerable research is needed, it is a general feeling that if a majority of

engineers and designers were to be given the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge and

confidence in the sandwich structural concept, one could anticipate an even faster growing number of applications within the coming years.

As of today there is no open literature giving an overview of the analysis methods, material

characteristics, design philosophies, and state-of-the-art research results. The existing literature is

either highly academic or scattered in short overviews in various textbooks and journals. The

objective of this book is to give an overview of typical material properties, summarize the existing

theories and design methods, plus cover new research results in one single text. This is to give a

comprehensive overview of all aspects of the concept. The text is designed so that hopefully

anyone will be able understand and use the content. It gives no long derivations, but only the actual result, the regime in which the results may be used, and how to use it. It is to be seen as an easy access design tool and knowledge base rather than a textbook.