Optimal design of sandwich floor panels made of high-strength composite materials considering stiffness constraints

Abstract

The article considers the challenge of designing sandwich floor panels made of high-strength composites considering stiffness constraints. A dimensionless criterion is proposed for assessing the stiffness of floor panels. A new constraint equation determines an interrelation between geometrical parameters of composite constructions and a given criterion. A demo example and the results of designing a typical floor panel using a high-strength composite material are presented. The mass of a square meter of the structure is considered as an objective function, and the thickness of the skin and the height of the honeycomb core of a sandwich construction are considered as design variables. In order to find the optimal ratio of design variables, a graphical interpretation of the design problem is used considering strength and stiffness constraints in the design space. It is noted that the presence of restrictions on a given value of the permissible relative deflection leads to an increase in the required height of the honeycomb filler with an insignificant consumption of additional mass of the sandwich construction.

Keywords

• sandwich constructions
• floor panel
• design
• strength
• stiffness
• deflection
• graphical interpretation