Mechanisms of Stiffening in Polymer-Filled Honeycomb Composites

Author(s):  
Carson Squibb ◽  
Michael Philen

Abstract Honeycomb composites are common materials in applications where a high specific stiffness is required. Previous research has found that honeycombs with polymer infills in their cells exhibit effective stiffnesses greater than the honeycomb or polymer alone. Currently, the state of analytic models for predicting the effective properties of these honeycomb polymer composites is limited, thus further research is needed to better characterize the behavior of these materials. In this work, a nonlinear finite element analysis was employed to perform parametric studies of a filled honeycomb unit cell with isotropic wall and infill materials. A pinned rigid wall model was created as an upper bound on the deformable wall model’s performance, and an empty honeycomb model was employed to better understand the mechanisms of stiffness amplification. Mechanisms by which the stiffness amplification occurs is studied through parametric studies, and the results are compared to current analytic models. It has been observed that both the volume change within the honeycomb cell under deformation, and the mismatch in Poisson’s ratios between the honeycomb and infill influence the effective properties. Stiffness amplifications of over 4,000 have been observed, with auxetic behavior achieved by tailoring of the HPC geometry. This research provides an important step toward understanding the design space and benefits of honeycomb polymer composites, and demonstrates the possibilities for variable stiffness structures when considering smart material infill materials.

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832110547
Author(s):  
Carson Squibb ◽  
Michael Philen

Honeycomb composites are now common materials in applications where high specific stiffness is required. Previous research has found that honeycombs with polymer infills in their cells, here referred to as honeycomb-polymer composites (HPCs), exhibit effective stiffnesses greater than the honeycomb or polymer alone. Currently, the state of analytic models for predicting the elastic properties of these composites is limited, and further research is needed to better characterize the behavior of these materials. In this research, a nonlinear finite element analysis was employed to perfor2m parametric studies of a filled honeycomb unit cell with isotropic wall and infill materials. A rigid wall model was created as an upper bound on the deformable wall model’s performance, and an empty honeycomb model was employed to better understand the mechanisms of stiffness amplification. Parametric studies were completed for infill material properties and cell geometry, with the effective Young’s modulus studied in two in-plane material directions. The mechanisms by which the stiffness amplification occurs are studied, and comparisons to existing analytic models are made. It has been observed that both the volume change within the honeycomb cell under deformation and the mismatch in Poisson’s ratios between the honeycomb and infill influence the effective properties. Stiffness amplifications of over 4000 have been observed, with auxetic behavior achieved by tailoring of the HPC geometry. Additionally, the effect of large effective strains up to 10% is explored, where the cell geometry changes significantly. This research provides an important step toward understanding the design space and benefits of HPCs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6094
Author(s):  
Hubdar Hussain ◽  
Xiangyu Gao ◽  
Anqi Shi

In this study, detailed finite element analysis was conducted to examine the seismic performance of square and circular hollow steel braces under axial cyclic loading. Finite element models of braces were constructed using ABAQUS finite element analysis (FEA) software and validated with experimental results from previous papers to expand the specimen’s matrix. The influences of cross-section shape, slenderness ratio, and width/diameter-to-thickness ratio on hysteretic behavior and compressive-tensile strength degradation were studied. Simulation results of parametric studies show that both square and circular hollow braces have a better cyclic performance with smaller slenderness and width/diameter-to-thickness ratios, and their compressive-tensile resistances ratio significantly decreases from cycle to cycle after the occurrence of the global buckling of braces.


Meccanica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Jansson ◽  
K. Salomonsson ◽  
J. Olofsson

AbstractIn this paper we present a semi-multiscale methodology, where a micrograph is split into multiple independent numerical model subdomains. The purpose of this approach is to enable a controlled reduction in model fidelity at the microscale, while providing more detailed material data for component level- or more advanced finite element models. The effective anisotropic elastic properties of each subdomain are computed using periodic boundary conditions, and are subsequently mapped back to a reduced mesh of the original micrograph. Alternatively, effective isotropic properties are generated using a semi-analytical method, based on averaged Hashin–Shtrikman bounds with fractions determined via pixel summation. The chosen discretization strategy (pixelwise or partially smoothed) is shown to introduce an uncertainty in effective properties lower than 2% for the edge-case of a finite plate containing a circular hole. The methodology is applied to a aluminium alloy micrograph. It is shown that the number of elements in the aluminium model can be reduced by $$99.89\%$$ 99.89 % while not deviating from the reference model effective material properties by more than $$0.65\%$$ 0.65 % , while also retaining some of the characteristics of the stress-field. The computational time of the semi-analytical method is shown to be several orders of magnitude lower than the numerical one.


2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (06n07) ◽  
pp. 1689-1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
PENG YAN ◽  
CHIPING JIANG

This work deals with modeling of 1-3 thermoelectroelastic composites with a doubly periodic array of piezoelectric fibers under arbitrary combination of mechanical, electrical loads and a uniform temperature field. The finite element method (FEM) based on a unit cell model is extended to take into account the thermoelectroelastic effect. The FE predictions of effective properties for several typical periodic microstructures are presented, and their influences on effective properties are discussed. A comparison with the Mori-Tanaka method is made to estimate the application scope of micromechanics. The study is useful for the design and assessment of composites.


Aerospace ◽  
2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod P. Veedu ◽  
Davood Askari ◽  
Mehrdad N. Ghasemi-Nejhad

The objective of this paper is to develop constitutive models to predict thermoelastic properties of carbon single-walled nanotubes using analytical, asymptotic homogenization, and numerical, finite element analysis, methods. In our approach, the graphene sheet is considered as a non-homogeneous network shell layer which has zero material properties in the regions of perforation and whose effective properties are estimated from the solution of the appropriate local problems set on the unit cell of the layer. Our goal is to derive working formulas for the entire complex of the thermoelastic properties of the periodic network. The effective thermoelastic properties of carbon nanotubes were predicted using asymptotic homogenization method. Moreover, in order to verify the results of analytical predictions, a detailed finite element analysis is followed to investigate the thermoelastic response of the unit cells and the entire graphene sheet network.


Author(s):  
Walter Anderson ◽  
Constantine Ciocanel ◽  
Mohammad Elahinia

Engine vibration has caused a great deal of research for isolation to be performed. Traditionally, isolation was achieved through the use of pure elastomeric (rubber) mounts. However, with advances in vehicle technology, these types of mounts have become inadequate. The inadequacy stems from the vibration profile associated with the engine, i.e. high displacement at low frequency and small displacement at high frequency. Ideal isolation would be achieved through a stiff mount for low frequency and a soft mount for high frequency. This is contradictory to the performance of the elastomeric mounts. Hydraulic mounts were then developed to address this problem. A hydraulic mount has variable stiffness and damping due to the use of a decoupler and an inertia track. However, further advances in vehicle technology have rendered these mounts inadequate as well. Examples of these advances are hybridization (electric and hydraulic) and cylinder on demand (VCM, MDS & ACC). With these technologies, the vibration excitation has a significantly different profile, occurs over a wide range of frequencies, and calls for a new technology that can address this need. Magnetorheological (MR) fluid is a smart material that is able to change viscosity in the presence of a magnetic field. With the use of MR fluid, variable damping and stiffness can be achieved. An MR mount has been developed and tested. The performance of the mount depends on the geometry of the rubber part as well as the behavior of the MR fluid. The rubber top of the mount is the topic of this study due to its major impact on the isolation characteristics of the MR mount. To develop a design methodology to address the isolation needs of different hybrid vehicles, a geometric parametric finite element analysis has been completed and presented in this paper.


1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua-Ping Li ◽  
F. Ellyin

A plate weakened by an oblique penetration of a circular cylindrical hole has been investigated. The stress concentration around the hole is determined by a finite-element method. The results are compared with experimental data and other analytical works. Parametric studies of effects of angle of inclination, plate thickness, and width are performed. The maximum stress concentration factor (SCF) obtained from the finite-element analysis is higher than experimental results, and this deviation increases with the increase of angle of skewness. The major reason for this difference is attributed to the shear-action between layers parallel to the plate surface which cannot be directly included in the two-dimensional elements. An empirical formula is derived which accounts for the shear-action and renders the finite-element predictions in line with experimentally observed data.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
VINCENZO OLIVERI ◽  
GIOVANNI ZUCCO ◽  
MOHAMMAD ROUHI ◽  
ENZO COSENTINO ◽  
RONAN O’HIGGINS ◽  
...  

The design of a multi-part aerospace structural component, such as a wingbox, is a challenging process because of the complexity arising from assembly and integration, and their associated limitations and considerations. In this study, a design process of a stiffeners-integrated variable stiffness three-bay wingbox is presented. The wingbox has been designed for a prescribed buckling and post-buckling performance (a prescribed real testing scenario) and made from thermoplastic composite material system (Carbon-PEEK) with the total length of three meters. The stiffeners and spars are integrated into the top and bottom panels of the wingbox resulting a single-piece blended structure with no fasteners or joints. The bottom skin also has an elliptical cut-out for access purposes. The composite tows are steered around this cutout for strain concentration reduction purposes. The fiber/tow steering in the top skin bays (compression side) has also been considered for improved compression-induced buckling load carrying capacity. The proposed design has been virtually verified via high fidelity finite element analysis.


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