Numerical analysis of the stressed state of composite plates with a core layer made of tetrachiral honeycombs under static bending

Abstract

The present work considers three-layer composite plates with solid face layers and a honeycomb core layer of the tetrachiral type. Under static bending conditions, the effects of discretization (the number of unit cells), relative density and thickness of tetrachiral honeycombs on the stressed state of composite plates are studied. Two sets of numerical experiments have been conducted: within the first one, the thicknesses of layers of composite plates have been remained constant with the variation in the volume of solid body of honeycombs, and in the second case, the volume of solid body of honeycombs is constant under the variation in the thickness of the honeycomb structures. Numerical modeling has been carried out within the framework of the theory of elasticity using the Comsol Multiphysics finite element analysis software, as well as with help of the finite element algorithms for solving the plane problem of the theory of elasticity. Based on the results of the analysis, diagrams of the honeycomb core relative density and thickness dependence of the maximal stresses in the layers of composite plates are presented, respectively, for the first and second formulation of numerical experiments. It has been shown that the discretization of tetrachiral honeycombs provides a significant effect on the strength of the honeycombs. Variation in the honeycombs thickness via changing the relative density under the constant volume of honeycombs solid body also has a significant effect on the strength of the composites.

Keywords

• Composite plates
• Tetrachiral honeycombs
• Geometric discretization
• Relative density
• Finite element method
• Stress distribution