Balsa sandwich composite fracture study: Comparison of laminated to solid balsa core materials and debonding from thick balsa core materials

We examined various fracture properties relevant to the use of balsa as a thick core material in sandwich composites with unidirectional glass fiber/vinyl ester composite skins designed for bridge decks. The first experiments compared the fracture toughness of a laminated veneer lumber (LVL) made from balsa to the toughness of conventional butcher-block balsa material. When using a good lamination adhesive, an LVL balsa core material has...