Effect of Sandwich Configuration on Behavior of Honeycomb Core

Abstract

The behavior of regular hexagonal honeycomb core with and without a facesheet is studied using 3D finite element-based micromechanics. The core without a facesheet is also studied using several versions of beam analysis in order to assess the accuracy of the simplified analyses. The effect of the facesheet on the core behavior is evaluated in terms of how much the distortion of the core and the stress distribution were changed by the presence of the facesheet. In situ effective properties of the core with a facesheet are estimated using periodic analysis of a representative volume element. The effects of various geometric parameters on in situ effective properties are determined. Finally, linear buckling analysis is conducted to study the effect of facesheet stiffness and core geometry on the core buckling behavior under out-of-plane shear loading.