ABSTRACT
Composite sandwich structures are used where high specific stiffness and high specific strength are required, being two major criteria used in the materials selection process. An approximate method is implemented by which the symmetric sandwich structure is analyzed as an equivalent homogeneous material giving rise to the possibility to compare it with conventional mechanical properties of constituent materials of composite structures. When the cost of raw materials is added into the equation, results show that the usual conception of sandwich construction declines, but without ceasing to be an option. Complementary topics treated include the current applications of symmetric and asymmetric sandwiches in primary structures, failure modes under compression and some aspects related to maintenance.
