Mechanical properties and manufacturing process of grooved perforation sandwich composites

H-60 PVC foam, four-axis E-glass non-woven fabric and vinyl resin are selected to fabricate a type of reinforced sandwich composite as grooved perforation sandwich (GPS) by the advanced vacuum infusion molding process (VIMP). The interfacial structure between the face and core of GPS is innovative because of the acuminate grooves in both sides of foam core and the holes perforated along core's height. The fabrication results show that VIMP is a high-speed and cost-effective manufacturing method. The shear and flatwise compression properties of GPS are enhanced by the resin column inclusions. The typical flexural failure modes of specimens are observed. The flexural stiffness and ultimate loading capacity of GPS are studied by ordinary sandwich beam theory and the theoretical data tally with the tested data.