Damage Tolerance and Fail-Safety of Composite Sandwich Panels

Requirements, analysis methodologies, and selected test data for impact damage tolerance and fail-safety of composite sandwich panels are reviewed and discussed. Characteristic impact damage, failure modes, and residual strength prediction methodologies for impact damaged composite sandwich panels are presented, as well as guidelines for impact damage tolerant design. A tear strap design methodology for fail-safe composite sandwich panel design is discussed, along with pertinent residual strength test data for composite sandwich tear strap panels.