Core Crushing Research Articles

Investigation of Core Node Separation and Crush

The causes of the honeycomb core node separation/core crush defects of fiberglass sandwich panel is analyzed. The porosity of skin and leakage of vacuum bag under high-pressure curing environment are identified as root causes based on the analysis of historical data and designed simulation testes, and approved by statistic analysis calculation also. The relationship of core thickness and the opportunity of the defects appearing are discovered by tests.

The Response of Honeycomb Core Sandwich Panels, with Aluminum and Composite Face Sheets, to Blast Loading

The results of blast tests on sandwich panels with honeycomb cores are reported. Two core heights (13 mm and 25 mm) and two face sheet materials (glass fiber epoxy composite and aluminum alloy) were investigated. Increasing the core thickness reduced the permanent displacements exhibited by the sandwich panels. The panels with composite face sheets also exhibited smaller residual displacements than the aluminum face sheet counterparts. Damage took the form of core crushing, core shearing, debonding of the face sheet from the core, permanent displacement, cracking of the composite face sheets, and tearing. Higher damage levels were observed at elevated impulse levels. Load localization was found to concentrate the damage to the central portion of the panel, preventing the whole panel being employed in resisting the blast.

Fabrication and crushing behavior of low density carbon fiber composite pyramidal truss structures

A new method for fabricating carbon fiber composite pyramidal truss cores was developed based on the molding hot-press technique. In this method, all the continuous fibers of composite are aligned in the direction of struts and thus, the truss structure can fully exploit the intrinsic strength of the fiber reinforced composite. The microstructure and organizations of fibers of fabricated composite structures were examined using scanning electron microscope. The crushing response of the truss cores was also investigated and the corresponding failure modes were studied and complemented with an analytic model of the core crushing response. Our results show that the fabricated low-density truss cores have superior compressive strength and thus, could be used in development of novel lightweight multifunctional structures.

Free vibration of sandwich plates with impact‐induced damage

AbstractFree vibrations of impact‐damaged sandwich plates with honeycomb and foam cores are studied. It is assumed that damages caused by impact events are to exist before the vibration start and to be constant during oscillations. The influence of the impact damage modes involving the core crushing (planar damage), face sheets fracture (indentation) and the core to face sheets interface degradation (debonding) on the natural frequencies and associated mode shapes of the sandwich plates was investigated using commercially available finite element code ABAQUS. (© 2009 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Some theoretical considerations on the dynamic response of sandwich structures under impulsive loading

A theoretical solution is obtained to predict the dynamic response of peripherally clamped square metallic sandwich panels with either honeycomb core or aluminium foam core under blast loading. In the theoretical analysis, the deformation of sandwich structures is separated into three phases, corresponding to the transfer of impulse to the front face velocity, core crushing and overall structural bending/stretching, respectively. The cellular core is assumed to have a progressive crushing deformation mode in the out-of-plane direction, with a dynamically enhanced plateau stress (for honeycombs). The in-plane strength of the cellular core is assumed unaffected by the out-of-plane compression. By adopting an energy dissipation rate balance approach developed by earlier researchers for monolithic square plates, but incorporating a newly developed yield condition for the sandwich panels in terms of bending moment and membrane force, “upper” and “lower” bounds are obtained for the maximum permanent deflections and response time. Finally, comparative studies are carried out to investigate: (1) influence of the change in the in-plane strength of the core after the out-of-plane compression; (2) performances of a square monolith panel and a square sandwich panel with the same mass per unit area; and (3) analytical models of sandwich beams and circular and square sandwich plates.

A New Type of Rubber Sandwich Coated Onto Ship for the Use of Underwater Explosion Shock Mitigating

How to moderate ship the damages caused by the underwater explosion (UNDEX) is of great interest to the modern ship designers. A new type of rubber sandwich with periodic honeycomb core was developed to mitigate the ship shock due to UNDEX. A ship with or without the rubber coat was tested under “near combat conditions” by igniting a 8 kg charge of TNT underwater at varying standoff distances from the ship. The effects of the shocks to ship systems were observed and the responses of the ship were monitored and recorded for each shot. The pressures in the water around the ship were also recorded to explore the fluid-structure interaction and UNDEX shock wave reflection with different targets. Acceleration and strain records indicate that the rubber coat is capable of moderating the high-frequency response excited by shock wave efficiently. Pressure records show that the core crushing and water cavitation promote superior energy absorption that yields an increased resistance to UNDEX.

Impact Damage and Energy-absorbing Characteristics and Residual In-plane Compressive Strength of Honeycomb Sandwich Panels

An experimental study of the in-plane compressive behavior of both aluminium and nomex composite sandwich panels with 8 ply carbon/epoxy skins was conducted. All sandwich panels were impact-damaged with a range of impact energies from 1 to 55 J. Dominant damage mechanisms were found to be core crushing, skin delamination, and fracture with the former two absorbing most of the impact energy. While the intact panels failed in region close to one loaded end, all the impact-damaged nomex panels failed around the mid-section region. Two thirds of the aluminium panels also failed in the mid-section region and one third failed in the loaded end region. The presence of the core played a unique role in in-plane compression with a substantial stabilizing support to the skins, which counteracted the deleterious effect of impact damage. The in-plane compressive behavior has shown the combined effects of impact damage and the core in a complex manner.

Predictive Modeling of the Impact Response of Thermoplastic Composite Sandwich Structures

This article reports on work toward developing a practical methodology for the predictive modeling of the performance of thermoplastic composite (TPC) sandwich structures under impact loading. Explicit finite element analysis methods, using LS-DYNA® software, are described. Details of extensive materials characterization tests and material model parameter calibration for both the composite skin and polymer foam core are included. The simulations of deformation response, damage and failure of the sandwich structures is validated against experimental tests of the indentation and three-point bending of TPC sandwich beams. Good agreement between simulations and experiments has been achieved for indentation loading up to high degrees of core crush. The same is true for a significant part of the bending response including failure prediction. However, it has been necessary to introduce a principal strain fracture criterion to account for core shear and skin—core debonding failures at higher strains. For full predictive capability in this region, further experimental work is needed to obtain the necessary strain rate-dependent fracture data for the core and interface.

Repeated Slamming of Sandwich Composite Panels on Water

Wave slamming was simulated by repeatedly slamming rectangular sandwich composite specimens mounted on a rigid wedge with constant deadrise angle onto the body of calm water at various energy levels. Under single slamming, peak pressures and strains on the specimens were consistently found near the keel, whereas the maximum damage was localized near the chine. Significant reduction in strength was observed resulting from a single slam even at a moderate slamming energy level that left no apparent/visible damage to the test panel. Similarly, a substantial reduction in strength was observed under repeated slamming at various energy levels. The results were corroborated with acoustic emission observations that indicated a substantial reduction in AE activity in slammed specimens. A methodology was developed for the quantitative assessment of remaining strength and damage accumulation in slammed specimens using AE technique. Face yielding and core crushing were found to be the dominant modes of failure.

The Influence of Low Energy Impacts on the Static and Dynamic Response of a Foam Core Composite Wing

This work describes damage detection efforts on a composite wing subject to a series of low-energy (∼7 J) impacts. Two airfoils with fundamentally different damage scenarios were considered. The first damage scenario produced no visible signs of damage on the wing surface following eight impacts. A duplicate wing, subjected to a similar series of impacts, was investigated using flash thermography and subsequently autopsied. The flash thermography showed small, localized damage in the skin, but gave no information about core damage. The autopsy showed core/skin disbonding at both interfaces that varied with the number of impacts, core crushing, and a through the core shear crack. No clear changes to the static or dynamic wing response were observed for this scenario. The second damage scenario involved cracking of the wing skin. While damage quantification was not undertaken for this scenario, both static and dynamic changes in wing response were observed. An analytical model of the wing is presented which helps explain the observed behaviors of the two damage scenarios.

The impulsive response of aluminium foam core sandwich structures

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical investigation into the structural response and energy absorbing capacity of the novel light weight sandwich panels with an aluminium core under impulsive loading. The experimental results are presented in terms of deformation/failure patterns observed and quantitative data, which were obtained from the tests by means of a ballistic pendulum with corresponding sensors; including deflection-time history of an arbitrary position of the back face, pressure-time history at the centre of the front face, and impulse transfer. In analytical modelling, the deformation process is divided into three phases, corresponding to the front face deformation, core crushing and overall structural bending, respectively. The cellular core is idealised as a rigid-perfectly-plastic-locking material, and the structure is assumed to satisfy Johansen yield criterion. A procedure of moment of momentum conservation is adopted to describe the movement of the plastic hinge lines. Finally, a parametric study has been carried out to investigate the energy absorption performance of sandwich panels.

Analytical investigation and optimal design of sandwich panels subjected to shock loading

This paper first presents an experimental investigation into square metallic sandwich panels with either honeycomb core or aluminium foam core under blast loading, followed by an analytical analysis of their structural response. In analytical modeling, the deformation is divided into three phases, corresponding to the front face deformation, core crushing and overall structural bending and stretching, respectively. The response in the last phase is considered using either small deflection or large deflection theory, based on the extent of panel deformation. The analysis is based on an energy balance and assumed displacement fields. Using the proposed analytical model, an optimal design has been conducted for square sandwich panels for a given mass, and loaded by various levels of impulse. Effect of several key design parameters, i.e. ratio of side lengths, relative density of core, and core thickness is discussed.

Core crush criterion to determine the strength of sandwich composite structures subjected to compression after impact

Abstract In this study a core crush criterion is proposed to determine the residual strength of impacted sandwich structures. The core of the sandwich is made of a Nomex Honeycomb core and the faces are laminated and remain thin. The mechanism of failure of this kind of structure under post-impact compressive loading is due to interaction between three mechanical behaviors: geometrical nonlinearity due to the skin’s neutral line off-set in the dent area, nonlinear response of the core and damages to the skins. For the type of sandwich analysed in this study, initially the core crushes at the apex of the damage. Using a finite element discrete modelling of the core previously proposed by the authors, the load corresponding to the crushing of the first cell can be computed and it gives the value of the residual strength for our criterion. Some geometric and material hypotheses are assumed in the damaged area mainly based on non-destructive inspection (NDI). The criterion is then applied to tests modelled by Lacy and Hwang [Lacy TE, Hwang Y. Numerical modelling of impact-damaged sandwich composites subjected to compression after impact loading. Compos Struct 2003;61:115–128]. It is shown that the criterion allows a good prediction of the tests except in the case of very small dents. Several sensitivity studies on the assumptions were made and it is shown that using this approach, the criterion is robust.

Sandwich panels for blast protection in water: simulations

Abstract Edge supported metallic sandwich panels subject to underwater blast respond in a manner dependent on the relative timescales for water cavitation, core crushing, and structural response in bending. This article examines the response to impulses representative of an (especially relevant) domain: wherein the water cavitates before the core crushes. In some cases, core crushing ceases before the overall structural deformation is complete, leading to what is termed strong-core response. In other situations, core crushing continues beyond the stage at which the dry-face of the sandwich panel ceases to deform, a behavior that is known as weak-core response. It is known that weak-core response provides superior panel performance in terms of three performance metrics: the back-face deflection, the tearing susceptibility of the faces and the loads transmitted to the supports. The relevant regime of behavior is determined by the magnitude of the transmitted impulse from the water, the relative strength of the core, and the aspect ratio of the panel, so that a panel must be designed carefully against a known threat to achieve optimal performance. This paper initiates the development of a map of response for sandwich panels having I-core geometry, delineating strong, weak and other behavior in terms of some of the design parameters mentioned above. The effect of fluid – structure interaction is included in the simulations, and these results are contrasted with those in which fluid – structure interaction is omitted and an initial impulse is instead given to the wet-face of the panel.

Deformation and fracture modes of sandwich structures subjected to underwater impulsive loads

Sandwich panel structures with thin front faces and low relative density cores offer significant impulse mitigation possibilities provided panel fracture is avoided. Here steel square honeycomb and pyramidal truss core sandwich panels with core relative densities of 4% were made from a ductile stainless steel and tested under impulsive loads simulating underwater blasts. Fluid-structure interaction experiments were performed to (i) demonstrate the benefits of sandwich structures with respect to solid plates of equal weight per unit area, (ii) identify failure modes of such structures, and (iii) assess the accuracy of finite element models for simulating the dynamic structural response. Both sandwich structures showed a 30% reduction in the maximum panel deflection compared with a monolithic plate of identical mass per unit area. The failure modes consisted of core crushing, core node imprinting/punch through/tearing and stretching of the front face sheet for the pyramidal truss core panels. Finite element analyses, based on an orthotropic homogenized constitutive model, predict the overall structural response and in particular the maximum panel displacement.

Failure initiation and propagation characteristics of honeycomb sandwich composites

The energy absorbed during the failure of a variety of structural shapes is influenced by material, geometry and the failure mode. Failure initiation and propagation of the honeycomb sandwich under loading involves not only non-linear behavior of the constituent materials, but also complex interactions between various failure mechanisms. Therefore, there is a need for an improved understanding of the material characteristics and energy absorption modes to facilitate the design of sandwich performance. In the present study, failure initiation and propagation characteristics of sandwich beams and panels subjected to quasi-static and impact loadings were investigated. Experimental studies involved a series of penetration and perforation tests on 2D beam and 3D panel configurations using a truncated cone impactor with impact velocities up to 10 m/s. Preliminary tests were also performed on the sandwich beams subjected to the three-point bending. Load-carrying, energy-absorbing characteristics and failure mechanisms under quasi-static and impact loading were determined. Dominant deformation modes involved upper skin compression failure in the vicinity of the indenter, core crushing and lower skin tensile failure.

“Segment-wise model” for theoretical simulation of barely visible indentation damage in composite sandwich beams: Part I – Formulation

Abstract When localized transverse loading is applied to a sandwich structure, the facesheet locally deflects and the core crushes. A residual dent induced by the core crushing significantly degrades the mechanical properties of the sandwich structure. The authors establish a “segment-wise model” for theoretical simulation of static indentation loading and unloading responses in honeycomb sandwich beams with composite facesheets. The model was developed by modifying a theory developed for an Euler beam on an elastic Winkler foundation. The honeycomb sandwich beam was divided into many segments based on the periodic shape of the honeycomb, and the complicated through-thickness behavior of the core was integrated into each segment. First, compressive stress–strain curves were measured during the crushing–stretching process of the core using uniaxial flatwise compressive-tensile tests. Using the through-thickness properties approximated as a set of lines, the 2D indentation response in an aluminum honeycomb sandwich beam was then theoretically simulated. The obtained load–displacement curve was validated by an experiment, confirming the superiority of the new model over a conventional elastic-perfectly plastic model. Further experiment verification and a discussion are presented in Part II of this study.

“Segment-wise model” for theoretical simulation of barely visible indentation damage in composite sandwich beams: Part II – Experimental verification and discussion

Abstract When localized transverse loading is applied to a sandwich structure, the facesheet locally deflects and the core crushes. A residual dent induced by the core crushing significantly degrades the mechanical properties of the sandwich structure. In a previous paper, the authors established a “segment-wise model” for theoretical simulation of barely visible indentation damage in honeycomb sandwich beams with composite facesheets. Honeycomb sandwich beam was divided into many segments based on the periodic shape of the honeycomb and complicated through-thickness characteristics of the core were integrated into each segment. In this paper, the new model is validated by experiments using specimens with different types of honeycomb cores. In addition, the damage growth mechanism under indentation load was clarified from the viewpoint of the reaction force from the core to the facesheet. The applicability of the model to other types of core materials is also discussed.

Investigation of Parameters Governing the Damage and Energy Absorption Characteristics of Honeycomb Sandwich Panels

Honeycomb sandwich panels of various skin thicknesses and core densities have been investigated under quasi-static loading in bending and indentation with both hemispherical (HS) and flat-ended (FE) indenters. Core crushing, top skin delamination, and top skin fracture are identified as major damage mechanisms. Their characteristics and energy-absorbing capabilities are established using load—displacement and load—strain curves and inspections of cross-sectioned specimens. The effects of varying skin thickness, core density and type, indenter nose shape, and boundary conditions on the damage and energy-absorbing characteristics are examined. The variation of the indenter nose shape is shown to induce a change in the damage mechanisms and have the most significant effect on energy absorption, especially for panels with relatively thicker skins. Increasing the skin thickness significantly increases not only the initial threshold and ultimate loads but also the absorbed energy (AE) of the panels. Increasing the core density has a very small effect on either the ultimate loads or the energy-absorbing capacity, while the effect of the support conditions on the damage and energy-absorbing characteristics is small. The larger 220 mm diameter panels absorb significantly more energy than the 100 mm diameter panels because of the much greater ultimate displacement. Different core materials with a similar density show little difference in either the damage or the energy-absorbing characteristics due to the limited contribution of transverse shear resistance. Panels with a delaminated top skin have lower threshold loads under both indenters and lower ultimate load for the HS indenter.

Numerical modelling of honeycomb core crush behaviour

In this work several numerical techniques for modelling the transverse crush behaviour of honeycomb core materials were developed and compared with test data on aluminium and Nomex™ honeycomb. The methods included a detailed honeycomb micromechanics model, a homogenised material model suitable for use in FE code solid elements, and a homogenised discrete/finite element model used in a semi-adaptive numerical coupling (SAC) technique. The micromechanics model is shown to be suitable for honeycomb design, since it may be used to compute crush energy absorption for different honeycomb cell sizes, cell wall thicknesses and cell materials. However, the very fine meshes required make it unsuitable for analysis of large sandwich structures. The homogenised FE model may be used for such structures, but gives poor agreement when failure is due to core crushing. The SAC model is shown to be most appropriate for use in structural simulations with extensive compression core crushing failures, since the discrete particles are able to model the material compaction during local crushing.