On the structural parameters of honeycomb-core sandwich panels against low-velocity impact

Abstract

This paper presents a combined experimental and numerical study on the low-velocity impact behavior of honeycomb-core sandwich panels with different structural parameters, including facesheet thickness, core height, honeycomb cell size, and cell wall thickness. Impact tests were conducted at four different energies using a drop-weight impact facility, and the deformation and damage characteristics of the tested sandwich panels were analyzed by microscopic X-ray computed tomography. The experimental results revealed two distinct failure modes of sandwich panels: namely mode A, with localized damage in both facesheets and core, which is dominated by indentation; and mode B, which is characterized by global bending deflection of the facesheets and overall core crushing. It was found that a sandwich panel with thin facesheets and a high-density honeycomb core (e.g. with a small cell size and/or a thick cell wall) tended to fail in mode A, but core height did not influence the failure mechanism notably. Furthermore, finite element modeling was carried out to gain further understanding of the effects of these structural parameters. The perforation resistance and energy absorption capacity were significantly enhanced with increasing facesheet thickness. Whereas reducing the cell size and/or thickening the cell wall resulted in lower perforation resistance. When the total thickness of facesheets remained a constant, the impact behavior of the sandwich structure could be optimized by controlling the thickness ratio of the front to back facesheets. Finally, cost efficiency analysis was performed to achieve a rational design of the sandwich structure considering both the impact performance and cost.