Sandwich structures work by combining two strong outer skins with a lightweight core material to create a highly efficient structural panel. The outer layers, often made from composite laminates or metal sheets, carry the primary tensile and compressive forces.
The core material, which may be foam or honeycomb, acts as a spacer that keeps the skins separated. This separation increases the panel’s bending stiffness and allows it to resist structural loads more effectively.
When a sandwich panel is subjected to bending forces, the top skin experiences compression while the bottom skin experiences tension. The core transfers shear forces between these layers and prevents them from collapsing toward each other.
This design principle allows sandwich structures to achieve high mechanical performance with minimal weight. As a result, they are widely used in wind turbine blades, aircraft structures, marine vessels, and lightweight transportation panels.
