Simulation of Fastener Pull-through Failure for Honeycomb Sandwich Structures with Inserts

Abstract

Honeycomb sandwich structures are commonly assembled using a local reinforcement called “inserts” at the junction. In this paper, fastener pull-through tests are firstly conducted to investigate the strength properties and failure process of Nomex honeycomb sandwich structures with carbon fiber-reinforced composite skins and inserts. Loading capability and failure modes are analyzed and discussed. Based on these experiments, an analytical model simulating the failure process is then developed and implemented using the finite element code ANSYS, and a degradation model is proposed for the stress redistribution analysis. The database for determining the stiffness degradation factors Di of the honeycomb core is established by means of parametric fitting. The simulated results of the fastener pull-through failure process are will coincided with experimental results.