An Equivalent Homogenization Theoretical Method for Composite Sandwich Cylinders Subjected to Pure Bending

Abstract

An equivalent theoretical homogenization method was proposed for composite sandwich cylinders subjected to pure bending. Firstly, based on a homogeneous orthotropic layer hypothesis, the trapezoidal corrugated sandwich core was found to be equivalent in a homogenization orthotropic layer with the nine equivalent mechanical properties. Then, Lekhnitskii’s theory, based on a unified connection parameter method, was introduced and applied in the equivalent composite sandwich cylinder. The method developed by Lekhnitskii is suitable for arbitrary combinations of winding layers with different winding angles and materials. Additionally, the bending stiffness of the equivalent sandwich cylinder could be calculated. By developing user subroutine of UMAT, the numerical calculation results were in a good agreement with the results of the proposed method. Further, according to the Hill–Tsai strength criterion and the maximum strain criterion, parametric study was done for specified bending stiffness and specified bending strength. The results show that the influence of core parameters on the specified bending stiffness and strength are lower than that of the skin parameters. Additionally, larger skin thickness and smaller winding angles could improve the specified bending stiffness and specified bending strength of the composite corrugated sandwich cylinders.