In this investigation, three-point bend tests were performed on pre-cracked and unnotched sandwich structures offering a wide
range of fracture toughnesses. It has been shown that an areas-based method is the most appropriate for characterizing the
fracture toughness of the sandwich structures. It has also been shown that tough core materials are less sensitive to delaminations
between core and skin than their more brittle counterparts.
Keywords fracture mechanics - toughness of core materials - pre-crack - sandwich structures - surface imperfections