Pyramidal Core Sandwich Panels Research Articles

Thermal and thermomechanical performance of actively cooled pyramidal sandwich panels

Previous research has proved that pyramidal core sandwich panel is an excellent kind of passive Thermal Protection Systems (TPSs) for hypersonic aerospace aircrafts suffered from in-service environment. To explore its further insulation performance and load-bearing capability, four kinds of actively cooled pyramidal core sandwich panels are designed and investigated in this paper. Convection flow mechanism for cooling channels is described in details. Influences of the coolant velocity, channel height ratio and flow direction of the two layers on thermal performance are firstly studied and discussed in an appropriate way. Analysis of thermomechanical performance is then performed. The effect of the cover board thickness on thermomechanical performance is also studied. In consequence, a light-weight, structural and thermal integrated thermal protection system (ITPS) has been designed to protect hypersonic aircrafts from intense radiation heat flux in service.

Thermal and Thermomechanical Performances of Pyramidal Core Sandwich Panels Under Aerodynamic Heating

According to the particular aerodynamic heating loads which hypersonic aerospace aircrafts suffered from in-service environment, a lightweight integrated thermal protection system (ITPS) named pyramidal core sandwich panel is designed. This is considered not only as an insulation structure but also a load-bearing structure. Compared to traditional thermal protection systems (TPSs), the sandwich panel has simultaneous lightweight, load-bearing, and excellent thermal protection property. The finite-element heat transfer analysis for the pyramidal core sandwich structure is performed, and the distributions of temperature in the structure are presented. Then sequential coupling method is adopted to analyze the thermomechanical performance of the structure and presentations of field of stress and displacement under aerodynamic and thermal load are provided. A comparison between corrugated-core sandwich panels and pyramidal core sandwich panels from the perspectives of heat insulation, strength, and mass is carried out. The results indicate that the particular performance of pyramidal-core structure is superior to that of corrugated-core structure.

Material combinations and parametric study of thermal and mechanical performance of pyramidal core sandwich panels used for hypersonic aircrafts

A novel kind of lightweight integrated thermal protection system, named pyramidal core sandwich panel, is proposed to be a good safeguard for hypersonic aircrafts in the current study. Such system is considered as not only an insulation structure but also a load-bearing structure. In the context of design for hypersonic aircrafts, an efficient optimization should be paid enough attention. This paper concerns with the homogenization of the proposed pyramidal sandwich core panel using two-dimensional model in subsequent research for material selection. According to the required insulation performance and thermal–mechanical properties, several suitable material combinations are chosen as candidates for the pyramidal core sandwich panel by adopting finite element analysis and approximate response surface. To obtain lightweight structure with an excellent capability of heat insulation and load-bearing, an investigation on some specific design variables, which are significant for thermal–mechanical properties of the structure, is performed. Finally, a good balance between the insulation performance, the capability of load-bearing and the lightweight has attained.

Mechanical Behavior and Failure Mechanisms of Carbon Fiber Composite Pyramidal Core Sandwich Panel after Thermal Exposure

An attempt has been made here to evaluate the effect of thermal exposure on the mechanical behavior and failure mechanisms of carbon fiber composite sandwich panel with pyramidal truss core under axial compression. Analytical formulae for the collapse strength of composite sandwich panel after thermal exposure were derived. Axial compression tests of composite laminates and sandwich panels after thermal exposure were conducted at room temperature to assess the degradation caused by the thermal exposure. Experimental results showed that the failure of sandwich panel are not only temperature dependent, but are time dependent as well. The decrease in residual compressive strength is mainly attributed to the degradation of the matrix and the degradation of fiber–matrix interface, as well as the formation of cracks and pores when specimens are exposed to high temperature. The measured failure loads obtained in the experiments showed reasonable agreement with the analytical predictions.