Advances in lightweight sandwich materials andsturctures: manufacture and vibroacoustic performances

With the rapideconomic development of China, the express train and largeaircraft programs have generated huge social and economicbenefits. The optimal design of these high speed transportationvechicles in the pursuit of lightweight and multi-functionalproperties (e.g., stiffness, strength, heat dissipation, vibrationand noise control) has become a challenging problem, which needsconcerted efforts of researchers in various fields, includingsolid/fluid mechanics, acoustics, mechanical engineering,materials science and engineering and applied mathematics. Basedon our own studies, this article presents a comprehensive reviewon the fabrication of various lightweight sandwichmaterials/structures as well as the vibroacoustic characteristicsof lightweight sandwich materials/structures and correspondingactive/passive control techniques. Future research directionsregarding the vibroacoustic performances of lightweight sandwichmaterials/structures are also discussed.