Experimental and numerical characterization of honeycomb sandwich composite panels

In this paper, an experimental investigation, an analytical analysis and a numerical model of a typical four-point bending test on a honeycomb sandwich panel are proposed. The honeycomb core is modelled as a single solid layer of equivalent material properties. Analytical and numerical (finite element) homogenization approaches are used to compute the effective properties of the honeycomb core. A general kinematic model (unified formulation) has been adopted and used for the modelling of honeycomb sandwich panel submitted to the bending test. A comparative study of major classes of representative theories has been considered. Qualitative and quantitative assessments of displacement, stress have been presented and discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.