Novel Sandwich Panel with Interlocking Plywood Kagome Lattice Core and Grooved Particleboard Facings

A new sandwich composite structure was prepared that utilizes classic wood-based composites as the core and face materials. Particleboards were used as faces, which covered a plywood-made iso-grid core. A new type of core-face fixation was suggested and assessed. The sandwich panels can be regarded as lightweight, as their density was below 400 kg/m. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used to determine Poisson’s ratios and obtain additional insight into the deformation behavior of the sandwich panel. DIC was also employed to assess the core-face bonding, which was based on imprinted grooves on one side of the particleboard face. The results include strength in edgewise and flatwise compression and flexural properties. The latter were determined through three-point bending tests. Comparable strength properties were found relative to the literature, which means that this new type of sandwich panel demonstrates a competitive property profile. It was concluded that the developed sandwich panel is versatile, and the hollow spaces in the core can be filled with insulation materials such as fibers or foams. Surfaces can also be covered with some overlay, delivering improved bending performance.