Mechanical behavior of multilayered sandwich panels of wood veneer and a core of cork agglomerates

Sandwich panels were produced using wood veneer of Aleppo pine as face sheets and cork agglomerate as core, including multilayered designs, for use in construction. The mechanical behavior of the panels was tested for perpendicular compression and tensile, longitudinal compression, three and four point bending, and shear. The load–displacement curves, patterns and cracking fractures were analyzed. The cork agglomerate provided a high performance under perpendicular compression, while the wood layers protected the core material and increased mechanical strength under tensile loads. Failure occurred mostly by fracture between cork granules. Multilayered sandwich panels showed higher strength and an increased number of layers improved the mechanical performance of the composite structure. The results suggested that these sandwich panels may be used as construction materials for paneling or partition walls in interior applications with the advantage of environmental friendliness and cost effectiveness.