The response of honeycomb sandwich panels under low-velocity impact loading

This paper describes the results of an experimental investigation and a numerical simulation on the impact damage on a range of sandwich panels. The test panels are representative of the composite sandwich structure of the engine nacelle Fan Cowl Doors of a large commercial aircraft. The low-velocity impact response of the composites sandwich panels is studied at five energy levels, ranging from 5 to 20 J, with the intention of investigating damage initiation, damage propagation, and failure mechanisms. These impact energy levels are typically causing barely visible impact damage (BVID) in the impacted composite facesheet. A numerical simulation was performed using LS-DYNA3D transient dynamic finite element analysis code for calculating contact forces during impact along with a failure analysis for predicting the threshold of impact damage and initiation of delaminations. Good agreement was obtained between numerical and experimental results. In particular, the numerical simulation was able to predict the extent of impact damage and impact energy absorbed by the structure. The results of this study is proving that a correct numerical model can yield significant information for the designer to understand the mechanism involved in the low-velocity impact event, prior to conducting tests, and therefore to design a more efficient impact-resistant aircraft structure. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.