Experimental investigations of the energy absorption capacity of coconut mesocarp core sandwich panels

Abstract

Finding out the low cost, environment-friendly and good at energy absorption
materials are received an increasing interest in recent years. The sandwich panels with
skins (or face sheets) made of steel and the core of coconut mesocarp were firstly
manufactured and conducted under quasi-static compression with the speed of 2mm
per minute. The nominal thickness of mesocarp core is 20mm. SUS 304 stainless steel
and mild steel were both selected to be panel face sheets. The peak force Fmax and the
energy absorption Ej were computed based on the quasi-static experimental result. The
result revealed that SUS 304 stainless steel face sheet panel absorbs energy better than
the mild steel sheet panel. The deformation and failure of specimens under
compression were also analyzed clearly. The comparative study was also made
between mesocarp core sandwich panels and aluminum corrugated core sandwich
panels. Comparative results showed that the natural, environment-friendly and
recyclable mesocarp core sandwich panels absorbed more energy than aluminum
corrugated core sandwich panels.