Equivalent properties for corrugated cores of sandwich structures: A general analytical method

Abstract Corrugated core sandwich structures are increasingly used as multi-functional components in many industrial areas. In order to perform efficient finite element analysis, the sandwich construction can be represented as a multi-layer two-dimensional continuum. To do so, the complex shaped core is usually represented as an orthotropic homogeneous layer. The challenge is therefore to determine the mechanical properties of the equivalent material to accurately model the sandwich structure. Several methods exist in the literature, but analytical formulations are only available for specific types of core. In this paper, a general analytical formulation to characterize the equivalent material is proposed. The generality of the proposed approach consists in its ability to model every corrugation geometry, overcoming the main limitation of existing analytical formulations. Both beam and shell sandwich structures are modeled. Given the importance of the out-of-plane properties, all parameters for a Reissner–Mindlin representation are studied. Moreover, also non-symmetric corrugation profiles are easily processed. Thanks to its versatility, the method is validated by means of an extensive comparison with previous authors on the most common corrugation geometries. In addition, when agreement is not found on results, finite element simulations are set up to prove the precision and accuracy of the proposed formulation.

[1]  W. M. Banks.  Book reviewComposite structures—2: Edited by I. H. Marshall. 1983. Elsevier Applied Science Publishers Ltd, London. xvi + 576 pp. ISBN 0 85334 229 6. Price: £70.00 , 1985 .

[2]  Wan-Shu Chang,et al.  Bending behavior of corrugated-core sandwich plates , 2005 .

[3]  Patrice Cartraud,et al.  Homogenization of corrugated core sandwich panels , 2003 .

[4]  M. Ashby,et al.  Effective properties of the octet-truss lattice material , 2001 .

[5]  Niccolò Baldanzini,et al.  Potential error factors in 1D beam FE modeling for the early stage vehicle design , 2013 .

[6]  Arthur H. Nilson,et al.  Finite Element Analysis of Metal Deck Shear Diaphragms , 1974 .

[7]  Norman A. Fleck,et al.  Fabrication and structural performance of periodic cellular metal sandwich structures , 2003 .

[8]  Niccolò Baldanzini,et al.  An equivalent material formulation for sinusoidal corrugated cores of structural sandwich panels , 2013 .

[9]  D. Zenkert,et al.  Impact of carbon fibre/epoxy corrugated cores , 2012 .

[10]  H. P. Lee,et al.  A numerical analysis approach for evaluating elastic constants of sandwich structures with various cores , 2006 .

[11]  Tomas Nordstrand,et al.  Transverse shear stiffness of structural core sandwich , 1994 .

[12]  John W. Hutchinson,et al.  Structurally optimized sandwich panels with prismatic cores , 2004 .

[13]  William L. Ko,et al.  Elastic constants for superplastically formed/diffusion-bonded sandwich structures , 1979 .

[14]  Demetres Briassoulis,et al.  Equivalent orthotropic properties of corrugated sheets , 1986 .

[15]  Lorenzo Valdevit,et al.  Structural performance of near-optimal sandwich panels with corrugated cores , 2006 .

[16]  Michael I. Friswell,et al.  Equivalent models of corrugated panels , 2012 .

[17]  Aleksandra Krusper,et al.  Shear correction factors for corrugated core structures , 2007 .

[18]  Gerald Kress,et al.  Influence of corrugation geometry on the substitute stiffness matrix of corrugated laminates , 2012 .

[19]  C. Libove,et al.  Elastic Constants for Corrugated-Core Sandwich Plates , 1951 .

[20]  Gerald Kress,et al.  Corrugated laminate homogenization model , 2010 .

[21]  A. Pratellesi,et al.  Beam Bounding Box - a novel approach for beam concept modeling and optimization handling , 2012 .

[22]  K. M. Liew,et al.  Vibration analysis of corrugated Reissner-Mindlin plates using a mesh-free Galerkin method , 2009 .

[23]  Tomohiro Yokozeki,et al.  Mechanical properties of corrugated composites for candidate materials of flexible wing structures , 2006 .

[24]  Frank W. Zok,et al.  Design of metallic textile core sandwich panels , 2003 .

[25]  M. Mukhopadhyay,et al.  Finite element static and dynamic analyses of folded plates , 1999 .

[26]  Jaroslav Mackerle,et al.  Finite element analyses of sandwich structures: a bibliography (1980–2001) , 2002 .

[27]  Hong-Xia Wang,et al.  Equivalent Elastic Constants of Truss Core Sandwich Plates , 2011 .