Sandwich panels with Arundo Donax core and flax fibre skins

Sandwich panels are structures employed in many different applications. Here, sandwich panels with the core made of Arundo donax rings and the skins made of flax fibre-reinforced epoxy composites are proposed. The influence of the surface roughness of the rings on the mechanical properties is investigated. Pull-off tests between the ring and the skin were carried out to understand how sandpaper polishing can affect the adhesion between the skin and the core. The sandwich panel is characterized by three points bending tests. The results show a significant influence of the polishing treatment on the ring lateral surfaces.