Non-linear behavior of delaminated unidirectional sandwich panels with partial contact and a transversely flexible core

The paper presents the results of an investigation of the non-linear behavior of delaminated sandwich panels with a compressible core. The delaminated zone, at one of the face-core interfaces, consists of through-the-width crack, which is free of shear stresses but is capable of accommodating partial contact with compressive stresses only within the debonded zone. The governing non-linear equations along with the appropriate boundary conditions and the continuity conditions are derived through variational principles. The governing equations include moderate deformations type of kinematic relations, and include the high-order effects due to the transverse flexibility of the core. The governing equations along with the stress and displacements fields for the core and the appropriate continuity conditions are presented. The effects of the non-linear response and the partial contact are described through some numerical cases of three points bending typical sandwich panels with inner delaminations in the vicinity of a concentrated load, in the vicinity of a stiffened core and, finally, far from the load. Numerical results in the form of displacements, bending moments, shear stresses in the core and vertical interfacial normal stresses at the upper and lower face-core interfaces along the panel length and at the delamination crack tips are presented. Buckling curves of load versus various extreme structural parameters are included. The analyses show that a full contact type of delamination transforms into a partial contact area with buckling of the compressed face sheet, as the load is increased and it is associated with extreme large displacements and stresses.     

High-order nonlinear contact effects in the dynamic behavior of delaminated sandwich panels with a flexible core

The nonlinear dynamic behavior of delaminated sandwich panels with a flexible core is studied. A general analytical model that accounts for the real contact characteristics of the delaminated interface is developed. The analysis characterizes the influence of the contact phenomenon on the dynamic behavior of the sandwich structure and compares them to simplified models in which the contact conditions at the delaminated interface are assumed a priori. The dynamic model uses the high-order sandwich panel theory (HSAPT) that takes into account the flexibility of the core and considers the geometrically nonlinear effects of the face-sheets as well as the nonlinearity associated with the real contact characteristics of the delaminated surfaces. The dynamic governing equations, boundary conditions, and continuity requirements are derived through the Hamilton principle. The formulation yields a set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. The solution in time is based on the Newmark method of integration, and the solution in space uses the Multiple Shooting method combined with a Newton–Raphson iterative scheme. Numerical results that reveal the influence of the contact characteristics on the dynamic response of a sandwich panel are presented. In addition, the results are compared with finite element analysis, and with the simplified models. The study reveals the influence of the real contact phenomenon on the linear and nonlinear response and highlights its role in the dynamic response of the sandwich panel.     

Non-linear response of geometrically imperfect sandwich curved panels under thermomechanical loading

This paper deals with the non-linear response of sandwich curved panels exposed to thermomechanical loadings. The mechanical loads consist of compressive/tensile edge loads, and a lateral pressure while the temperature field is assumed to exhibit a linear variation through the thickness of the panel. Towards obtaining the equations governing the postbuckling response, the Extended Galerkin’s Method is used. The numerical illustrations concern doubly curved, circular cylindrical and as a special case, flat panels, all the edges being simply supported. Moveable and immoveable tangential boundary conditions in the directions normal to the edges are considered and their implications upon the thermomechanical load-carrying capacity are emphasized. Effects of the radii of curvature and of initial geometric imperfections on the load-carrying capacity of sandwich panels are also considered and their influence upon the intensity of the snap-through buckling are discussed. It is shown that in special cases involving the thermomechanical loading and initial geometric imperfection, the snap-through phenomenon can occur also in the case of flat sandwich panels.     

Design of metallic textile core sandwich panels

Metallic sandwich panels with textile cores have been analyzed subject to combined bending and shear and then designed for minimum weight. Basic results for the weight benefits relative to solid plates are presented, with emphasis on restricted optimizations that assure robustness (non-catastrophic failure) and acceptable thinness. Select numerical simulations are used to check the analytical results and to explore the role of strain hardening beyond failure initiation. Comparisons are made with competing concepts, especially honeycomb and truss core systems. It is demonstrated that all three systems have essentially equivalent performance. The influence on the design of a concentrated compressive stress that might crush the core has been explored and found to produce relatively small effect over the stress range of practical interest. “Angle ply” cores with members in the ±45° orientation are found to be near optimal for all combinations of bending, shear and compression.     

轻质金属点阵夹层板热屈曲临界温度分析

本文针对均匀温度场下四边简支和四边固支金属点阵夹层板的临界热屈曲温度进行了求解和参数影响分析。将点阵夹芯等效为均匀连续体,并且将夹层板的剪切刚度近似为点阵夹芯的抗剪切刚度,忽略夹芯的抗弯刚度且认为夹层板主要由面板来提供抗弯刚度。对于无法获得解析解的四边固支条件,通过对未知变量进行双傅里叶展开的方法求解了Ressiner夹层板模型的临界屈曲温度,理论分析结果与有限元计算结果吻合良好。进一步分析了不同边界条件、点阵胞元构型、点阵材料相对密度、面板厚度等对临界屈曲温度的影响规律。     

Special behavior of unidirectional sandwich panels with transversely flexible core under statical loading

Special features inherent in the response of ordinary (fully bonded) and delaminated sandwich panels with a transversely flexible (“soft”) core subjected to external in-plane and vertical statical loads are analyzed. The analytical formulation is based on a higher-order theory for sandwich panels with non-rigid bond layers between the face sheets and the core. The central finite difference scheme is used for discretizing the continuous formulation. The deflated iterative Arnoldi scheme for solution of a large-scale generalized eigenvalue problem is employed, as well as the quasi-Newton global framework for the natural parameter and the arc-length continuation procedures. The numerical higher-order analysis reveals that the ordinary sandwich panel behaves as a compound structure in which the local/localized, overall or interactive forms of the response can take place depending on the geometry, mechanical properties, and boundary conditions of the structure. The non-sinusoidal modes confined to the support zones of the panel may occur at critical loads much lower than those predicted on the basis of presumed sinusoidal modes. Soft-core sandwich panels possess a complex branching behavior with limit points and secondary bifurcations. The thin-film-delamination approach used in the field of the composite plates is unsuitable for the analysis of delaminated sandwich panels and consideration of the interaction between the face sheets and the core is required. The complex response of the soft-core sandwich panels can be predicted only with the aid of the enhanced higher-order theory.     

A nonlinear theory for doubly curved anisotropic sandwich shells with transversely compressible core

In the present paper, an advanced geometrically nonlinear shell theory of doubly curved structural sandwich panels with transversely compressible core is presented. The model is based on the adoption of the Kirchhoff theory for the face sheets and a second/third order power series expansion for the core displacements. The theory accounts for dynamic effects as well as for initial geometric imperfections. In the v. Kármán sense, large displacement theory is employed with respect to the transverse direction while the displacement gradients with respect to the tangential directions are assumed to be small. The equations of motion are derived by means of Hamilton’s principle and hold valid for all types of elastic and elastic–plastic material models. The theory is illustrated by an analysis of the elastic buckling and postbuckling behavior of flat and curved sandwich panels using an extended Galerkin scheme. Owing to the assumed transverse flexibility of the core, both the global and the local (face wrinkling) instability modes can be addressed.     

Influence of imperfections on the performance of metal foam core sandwich panels

Sandwich panels and beams are used in bending and compression dominated components. The retention of their load capacity in the presence of imperfections is a central consideration. To address this issue, sandwich beams with metallic foam cores have been tested in four-point bending following the introduction of imperfections, created by impressing the face sheets. Limit load expressions for face yielding, core shear, and indentation failure have been developed and used to construct failure mechanism maps. From these maps, specimen designs were determined. Imperfections were introduced by indenting to varying penetrations. The indents were located on both the compressive and tensile side of bending configurations. Experimental measurements of the load/deflection response are obtained and compared with finite element results.     

Non-linear theories of sandwich shells

A partially non-linear theory of sandwich shells in tensor notation, and in terms of a reference state, is presented. The Hamilton principle is used to obtain the equations of motion and boundary conditions of sandwich shells. Each layer of the sandwich shell is of different thickness and of a different orthotropic material having symmetry with respect to two orthogonal planes. The transverse shear as well as the inertia and thermal effects are included in the analysis. The equations of motion and boundary conditions are simplified under the assumptions due to the Donnell-Mustari-Vlasov approximation.     

Higher-order dynamic response of composite sandwich panels with flexible core under simultaneous low-velocity impacts of multiple small masses

Small mass impactors, such as runway debris and hailstones may result in a wave controlled local response, which is essentially independent of boundary conditions. The higher-order impact model of sandwich beams presented by Mijia and Pizhong [Mijia, Y., Pizhong, Q., 2005. Higher-order impact modeling of sandwich structures with flexible core. International Journal of Solids and Structures 42 (10), 5460–5490] is developed and enhanced to impact analysis of sandwich panels with transversely flexible cores. Therefore, an improved fully dynamic higher-order impact theory is developed to analyze the low-velocity impact dynamic of a system which consists of a composite sandwich panel with transversely flexible core and multiple small impactors with small masses. Impacts are assumed to occur normally and simultaneously over the top face-sheet with arbitrary different masses and initial velocities of impactors. The contact forces between the panel and the impactors are treated as the internal forces of the system. First shear deformation theory (FSDT) is used for the face-sheets while three-dimensional elasticity is used for the soft core. The fully dynamic effects of the core layer and the face-sheets are considered in this study. Contact area can be varied with contact duration. The results in multiple mass impacts over sandwich panels that are hitherto not reported in the literature are presented based on proposed improved higher-order sandwich plate theory (IHSAPT). Finally, for the case study of the single mass impact, the numerical results of the analysis have been compared either with the available experimental results or with some theoretical results. As no literature could be found on the impact of multiple impactors over sandwich panels, the present formulation is validated indirectly by comparing the response of two cases of double small masses and single small mass impacts. Also, in order to demonstrate the applicability of the validation, the analytical relation of minimum distance between two impactors is derived based on Olsson’s wave control principle in this paper.     

Vibration analysis of rotating fully-bonded and delaminated sandwich beam with CNTRC face sheets and AL-foam flexible core in thermal and moisture environments

Abstract

In the present study, the high-order free vibration analysis of rotating fully-bonded and delaminated sandwich beams; with and without vertical contact; containing AL-foam flexible core and carbon nanotubes reinforced composite (CNTRC) face sheets subjected to thermal and moisture field are investigated by using generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM). The compressible core and face sheets of sandwich beam, respectively, are composed of Aluminum alloy foam with variable mechanical properties in the thickness direction and CNTRC with temperature dependent material properties. In this study, the high-order sandwich panel theory (HSAPT) for AL-foam flexible core and Euler-Bernoulli beam theory for CNTRC face sheets are considered. By employing Hamilton’s principle, the governing partial differential equations of motion and associated boundary and continuity conditions for various types of regions (fully-bonded, delaminated with contact, delaminated without contact) are derived and then discretized by using GDQM. The final formulations lead to 14 partial differential equations for the entire structure including five equations for fully-bonded two-headed parts of AL-foam cored sandwich beam (AL-FCSB) and four equations for delaminated middle part of AL-FCSB beam which are combined in axial and transverse deformations. A parametric study is performed to investigate the influence of some important parameters such as existence of delaminated region, type of delaminated region (with or without contact), longitudinal position of delaminated region, slenderness ratio, face sheet thickness ratio, CNT volume fraction, temperature rise, moisture concentration, rotating speed, and hub radius. The obtained results reveal that the 1st frequency of delaminated AL-FCSB beam, whether with or without vertical contact, is less remarkably than ones of fully-bonded AL-FCSB beam which its value for the case of delaminated ‘with contact’ is larger than that of ‘without contact’. Moreover, the 1st frequency variation of the delaminated AL-FCSB beam is symmetrical with regard to the longitudinal position of the debonded region such that the 1st natural frequency declines with moving the debonded region toward the center of the beam. The study of vibration behavior of rotating sandwich beams is very important in design of rotating structural systems, specially damaged ones, such as airplanes, helicopter rotor blades, and robot arms. One of the most important types of damage encountered in mentioned cases is the decomposition of two layers or delamination. Working these rotating structures in the media, are always along with variations of temperature and humidity and hence their mechanical properties may be changed due to the environment conditions.

Communicated by S. Velinsky     

Dynamic crushing of sandwich panels with prismatic lattice cores

The dynamic out-of-plane compressive response of stainless steel corrugated and Y-frame sandwich cores have been investigated for impact velocities ranging from quasi-static to 200 ms⁻¹. Laboratory-scale sandwich cores of relative density 2.5% were manufactured and the stresses on the front and rear faces of the dynamically compressed sandwich cores were measured using a direct impact Kolsky bar. Direct observational evidence is provided for micro-inertial stabilisation of both topologies against elastic buckling at impact velocities below 30 ms⁻¹. At higher impact velocities, plastic waves within the core members result in the front face stresses increasing with increasing velocity while the rear face stresses remain approximately constant. While the finite element calculations predict the rear face stresses and dynamic deformation modes to reasonable accuracy, the relatively slow response time of the measurement apparatus results in poor agreement between the measured and predicted front face stresses. The finite element calculations also demonstrate that material strain-rate effects have a negligible effect upon the dynamic compressive response of laboratory-scale and full-scale sandwich cores.     

Structural performance of near-optimal sandwich panels with corrugated cores

An experimental and computational study of the bending response of steel sandwich panels with corrugated cores in both transverse and longitudinal loading orientations has been performed. Panel designs were chosen on the basis of failure mechanism maps, constructed using analytic models for failure initiation. The assessment affirms that the analytic models provide accurate predictions when failure initiation is controlled by yielding. However, discrepancies arise when failure initiation is governed by other mechanisms. One difficulty is related to the sensitivity of the buckling loads to the rotational constraints of the nodes, as well as to fabrication imperfections. The second relates to the compressive stresses beneath the loading platen. To address these deficiencies, existing models for core failure have been expanded. The new results have been validated by experimental measurements and finite element simulations. Limit loads have also been examined and found to be sensitive to the failure mechanism. When face yielding predominates, appreciable hardening follows the initial non-linearity, rendering robustness. Conversely, for designs controlled by buckling (either elastic or plastic) failure initiation is immediately followed by softening. The implication is that, when robustness is a key requirement, designs within the face failure domain are preferred.     

Non-linear dynamic thermo-mechanical buckling analysis of the imperfect laminated and sandwich cylindrical shells based on a global-local theory inherently suitable for non-linear analyses

The available accurate shell theories satisfy the interlaminar transverse stress continuity conditions based on linear strain-displacement relations. Furthermore, in majority of these theories, either influence of the transverse normal stress and strain or the transverse flexibility of the shell has been ignored. These effects remarkably influence the non-linear behavior of the shells especially in the postbuckling region. Furthermore, majority of the buckling analyses performed so far for the laminated composite and sandwich shells have been restricted to linear, static analysis of the perfect shells. Moreover, almost all the available shell theories have employed the Love-Timoshenko assumption, which may lead to remarkable errors for thick and relatively thick shells. In the present paper, a novel three-dimensional high-order global-local theory that satisfies all the kinematic and the interlaminar stress continuity conditions at the layer interfaces is developed for imperfect cylindrical shells subjected to thermo-mechanical loads.In comparison with the layerwise, mixed, and available global-local theories, the present theory has the advantages of: (1) suitability for non-linear analyses, (2) higher accuracy due to satisfying the complete interlaminar kinematic and transverse stress continuity conditions, considering the transverse flexibility, and releasing the Love-Timoshenko assumption, (3) less required computational time due to using the global-local technique and matrix formulations, and (4) capability of investigating the local phenomena. To enhance the accuracy of the results, compatible Hermitian quadrilateral elements are employed. The buckling loads are determined based on a criterion previously published by the author.     

Non-linear vibrations of sandwich viscoelastic shells

This paper deals with the non-linear vibration of sandwich viscoelastic shell structures. Coupling a harmonic balance method with the Galerkin's procedure, one obtains an amplitude equation depending on two complex coefficients. The latter are determined by solving a classical eigenvalue problem and two linear ones. This permits to get the non-linear frequency and the non-linear loss factor as functions of the displacement amplitude. To validate our approach, these relationships are illustrated in the case of a circular sandwich ring.     

Test method for measuring strength of a curved sandwich beam

A fixture for testing curved sandwich beams in flexure was designed and evaluated. The test specimen is a continuous sandwich beam consisting of a central circular 90° region connected by two straight legs. The fixture was designed according to the four-point flexure principle to produce a pure bending moment in the curved region. The validity of the test fixture in producing the desired loading was examined by fitting a curved aluminum bar of similar bending stiffness as the sandwich beams considered. Strain gage readings were successfully compared to predictions from curved homogeneous beam theory. In addition, the deflection of the beam at the loading points was analyzed using straight and curved beam theory for the various sections of the beam, and predictions were compared to measured load-displacement response. Good agreement was achieved between experimental and analytical results lending confidence to the test principle. Curved sandwich beams consisting of glass/polyester face sheets over a PVC foam core were tested to failure and the loading response of the beams and their failure behavior are discussed. It was found that the beams failed at the upper face/core interface due to radial tension stress.     

铝合金格栅夹层结构水下抗冲击特性的实验研究

基于非药式水下爆炸冲击波加载技术,对格栅型夹层结构的动态响应及抗冲击防护性能,进行了实验研究。利用高速相机,对夹层板的动态变形情况进行了实时观测,获得了格栅夹层板气背面在水下冲击波作用下的动态响应历程,并结合相同面密度单层板在水下冲击波作用下的抗冲击变形结果,对比分析了铝合金格栅夹层板的抗冲击防护性能,获得了格栅型夹层板的气背面板最大变形量与水下冲击波量纲一冲量间的定量关系。