A composite sandwich structure is made up of a facesheet and core bonded together. The sandwich structures have been used in applications ranging from aerospace, construction, marine, biomedical instruments, etc. due to their including high specific strength and stiffness and light weight characteristics. The performance of a sandwich structure to mechanical loads and their failure behaviour is dependent on the material used in facesheet and core, fibre architecture, core geometry and manufacturing process. The research work published so far involves parametric studies on the above mentioned factors. Recent studies involve the use of predictive models and simulation tools to optimize the performance and validate the experimental data. Also, the use of in-situ monitoring techniques like digital image correlation (DIC) has been effective in identifying the failure initiation zone and damage evolution until failure. Non-destructive techniques like radiography and ultrasonic scan have been effective in providing quantitative assessment of the damage area and insight into the failure behaviour. There has been significant interest in recycling and reuse of the existing as well as challenges associated with it. In the last 2 decades, attempts have also been made to develop novel sandwich materials and multi-functional sandwich structures.

A typical sandwich structure is designed to withstand static load such as flexural, compression and shear load as well as dynamic loads such as ballistic impact, blast load, fatigue, etc. However, during their service life, it is susceptible to environmental degradation and may have to operate in an environment where it can be subjected to a combination of thermal, radiation and humidity effects depending on the application. Thus, in addition to meeting the strength, stiffness and damage tolerance requirements, it has become inevitable to design the sandwich for multiple functions such as thermal insulation, flame retardancy, acoustic insulation and radiation resistance or alternatively to improve electric conductivity. Furthermore, the advanced manufacturing processes and the influence of processing parameters as well as the material selection to tailor the mechanical properties or to achieve a specific functionality can also be investigated.

The landfill and poor recycling ability of the synthetic materials used in the construction of present day use sandwich materials have also pushed the need for sustainable material which can be biodegradable. Thus, developing sustainable sandwich structures and research on their performance under various loads, life cycle assessment, reuse and recycling aspects has to be examined in detail. The use of numerical methods and simulation tools for design and performance assessment of sandwich structure under various loads has played a vital role in development of a sandwich structure with optimum properties.

This special issue's goal is to address innovative, cutting-edge, and promising research developments in the area of composite materials. The following topics may be covered as part of this special collection, but are not restricted to:

• Novel facesheet materials: Metallic facesheet, hybrid facesheet Thermoplastic facesheet, Natural fibres reinforced laminate, biopolymer based facesheet, synthetic nanofiller reinforced laminate, Bio-based nanofiller reinforced laminate inter-ply laminate, intra-ply laminate, Self-reinforcing laminate,

• Novel core materials: metallic core, Wood core, polymer based foam, ceramic based foam, metal based foam, lattice structures, multiple core

• Manufacturing: Additive manufacturing, Automated fibre placement, Automated tape laying, thermoplastic based sandwich

• Performance: Flexural (3 point and 4 point bending load), Compression, Impact (drop weight, ballistic and blast load), Fatigue, viscoelastic properties, creep

• Parametric study: Core thickness, Face sheet thickness, fibre architecture, core geometry, curing parameters and influence of manufacturing process parameters

• Durability and environmental degradation: Saltwater, Artificial weathering, UV exposure, Hygrothermal aging, elevated temperature, cryogenic conditioning and exposure to radiation

• Structural optimization: Design and optimization algorithms, topology, machine learning

• Damage mechanics: Structural health monitoring, Non-destructive damage detection techniques, damage predictive models, Sandwich repair

• Multi-functional sandwich: Design strategies, fabrication and Tailoring properties for particular application

• Sustainability: Recycling techniques, optimization of recycling process, re-use and life cycle assessment, cost analysis, Market analysis for recycled sandwich materials, new recycling methods, characterization of recycled materials and application of recycled sandwich materials, Standards and regulation for recycling composite sandwich, Biodegradability and end-of-life management

• Applications: Energy storage; Automotive; Aerospace; Biomedical; Construction and Building; Marine; Sports equipment

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