EQIVALENT ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF CORRUGATED SANDWICH PANEL

A. Korjakins, A. Kovaļovs

Sandvičs, gofreta platne

Introduction

Composite materials, with their high strength-to-weight ratio and good resistance to
corrosion, offer a viable alterative to steel plates. Sandwich constructions are used in almost
every industrial sector ranging from building to aerospace applications. There is much
research and development into using sandwich design for different type of transportation
applications, including cars, subway cars and trains. The aim is not only to reduce the weight,
but also to integrate details for reduced manufacturing costs. There are a variety of pleasure
boats and ships made in sandwich design. The choice of sandwich design for these structures
comes from the urge to use non- magnetic materials combined with high energy absorption
capability and low structural weight. In civil engineering applications sandwich panels have
long been used for low weight and thermal insulation. In aerospace, sandwich construction
has used for a long time and applications include wings, doors, control surfaces, stabilisers,
etc. for both military and civil aircraft.
Sandwich consists of three or more constituents: the faces, the core, and the adhesive
joints. The faces may be of different materials and even the two adhesive joints may be made
of different adhesives, all depending on the materials on the requirements on the structure and
the manufacturing process
The core material component is perhaps the most important of all even though it might
not appear as such at first glance. It is also the material component of which the engineer
commonly has the least knowledge. The cores used in load carrying sandwich constructions
can be divided into four main groups; corrugated, honeycomb, balsa wood and cellular foams.
The properties of primary interest for the core may then be summarized as: low density, shear
modulus, shear strength, stiffness perpendicular to the faces, thermal insulation.
The purpose of this work is to present a straightforward formulation for the problem
and to give accurate and comprehensive numerical results for corrugated sandwich panel. In
the analysis, the corrugated sandwich panel is modeled as an orthotropic shell by using
classical lamination theory. The classical theory of laminates is usually used to calculate the
stiffness matrices, and the engineering constants, E, G and v, for multiple layers of materials,
which act together as a singular layer. In the application at the study the laminated theory has
been applied to calculate the stiffness matrices for a corrugated sandwich panel, which is
made of two laminated faceplates and a corrugated-foamed core, which act together as a
singular structure.

1. Theoretical analysis the equivalent properties of corrugated sandwich panel

The corrugated sandwich panel is made from laminated composite structures (upper
and lower faceplate) and corrugated core, generally made of foam and laminated composite.
The structural properties of the laminates can be calculated using the formulations provided
below.

1.1 Properties of the lamina

Basic laminate properties, namely Young’s Modulus (E), the Shear Modulus (G), and
Poisson’s Ratio ( ) can be evaluated for composite lamina by using the Rule of Mixtures.

Fibre Volume Fraction

 (1   0 )

f (1)
  (1   )
m

Young’s Modulus in fibres direction

E11  E f  (1   ) E m (2)

Young’s Modulus orthogonal to fibres

Em 1  0.85 2
E 22  
1   m2 Em (3)
(1   )1.25  
E f (1   m2 )

Poisson’s Ratios

 12     f   (1   ) m (4)
E 22
 21   12 (5)
E11

Shear Modulus

Em 1  0.6 0.5
G12  
2(1   m ) E (6)
(1   )1.25  m 
Ef

In the above equations, footers ‘f’ and ‘m’ are referred to fibre properties and to matrix
properties and represent respectively the void’s content of the material and the balancing ratio
of the fabric.
When   0 (woven fabric), the Young’s Modulus in the main directions of fibres
can be evaluated as follows:

E1  E11  (1   ) E 22 (7)
E 2  (1   ) E11  E 22 (8)

The lamina stiffness matrix can then be defined as follows: [1]:

  E1 i 21 E1 
1  i i 0 
1  i12 i21
 12 21

 i12 E 2 E2
Q 0  (9)
1  i12 i 21 1  i12 i21 
 0 0 G12 
 
 

All the above equations are referred to the intrinsic reference system (1 fibre direction;
2 orthogonal to fibre direction). Referring to a new reference system, each element of the
above matrix becomes [1]:

Q11  Q11 cos 4   2(Q12  2Q33 ) sin 2  cos 2   Q22 sin 4 

Q22  Q11 sin 4   2(Q12  2Q33 ) sin 2  cos 2   Q22 cos 4 
Q12  (Q11  Q22  4Q33 ) sin 2  cos 2   Q12 (sin 4   cos 4  )
(10)
Q33  (Q11  Q22  2Q12  2Q66 ) sin 2  cos 2   Q33 (sin 4   cos 4  )
Q13  (Q11  Q12  2Q33 ) cos 3  sin   (Q22  Q12  2Q33 ) cos  sin 3 
Q23  (Q11  Q12  2Q33 ) cos  sin 3   (Q22  Q12  2Q33 ) cos 3  sin 

where  represents the angle between the new reference system and the intrinsic one.

1.2 Calculation of the properties of the laminated composite

The Theory of Laminates is the reference theory for the calculation of the mechanical
properties of laminated composites on the basis of the mechanical properties of each lamina in
a common reference system.
The elastic behavior of the laminated composite is expressed in terms of three stiffness
matrices, which lead to the following constitutive equation of the composite [1]:

N  A  B 
M  B   D 
(11)

where N and M are respectively forces and moments,  and  are respectively linear and
angular deformation and A, B and D are the membrane, coupling and bending stiffness
matrix, respectively.
The above matrices can be calculated as follows [1]:

N
A   Q k  ( z k  z k 1 )
k 1

1 N
B 
2 k 1
Q k  ( z k21  z k21 ) (12)

1 N
D 
3 k 1
Q k  ( z k3  z k31 )

where zi defines the distance of the ply interfaces of the i-th layer from the midplane, as
depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Laminated Composite Configuration

The laminate stress-strain relations can also be stated in terms of compliances, which leads to
the following constitutive equations:

  a N bM
  bT  N  d  M
(13)

where a, b and d are the following matrices:

a  A 1  A 1  B  ( D  B  A 1  B ) 1 B  A 1
b   A 1  B  ( D  B  A 1  B ) 1 (14)
1 1
d  (D  B  A  B)

The in-plane engineering constants of a laminate can be determined using the analogy
between the ply compliance and the laminate normalised compliance matrices. The Young's
modulus, E and the shear modulus G can be evaluated as follows:

1
Ex 
h  a11
1
Ey  (15)
h  a 22
1
G xy 
h  a33

and similarly the Poisson's ratios:

a12
 xy  
a11
(16)
a
 yx   12
a 22

where h is the thickness of the laminated composite.

1.3 Mechanical Properties of the Corrugated Sandwich Panel

The classical theory of laminates is usually used to calculate the stiffness matrices, and
the engineering constants, E, G and v, for multiple layers of materials, which act together as a
singular layer. In the application at the study the laminated theory has been applied to
calculate the stiffness matrices for a corrugated sandwich panel, which is made of two
laminated faceplates and a corrugated-foamed core, which act together as a singular structure.
 The main difference between this application and the classical one is the presence of
the corrugation, which makes the panel heterogeneous in the horizontal direction (direction y
in Figure 2, in which a transversal section of the corrugated panel is shown).

Figure 2. Transversal Section of a Corrugated Sandwich Panel

The stiffness matrices can be calculated as follows:

Membrane Stiffness Matrix

QCorrugation  (h1  h2 ) wt QCorrugation  (h6  h7 ) wb

A  QUpperface  (h0  h1 )  2 2 
S 2 S 2
(17)
QCorrugation  (h3  h5 ) t Q  (h2  h7 )
2  Foam ( wt  wb )  QLowerface  (h7  h8 )
S sin e S

Coupling Stiffness Matrix

 Q  ( h
Corrugatio 1 2 wt
2 2
h ) Q Corrugatio 6  h7 ) wb
 ( h 2 2

QUpperface  (h0  h1 )  2 2  
2 2
1 S 2 S 2 
B (18)

2  QCorrugatio  (h32  h52 ) t QFoam  (h22  h72 ) 

 2  (wt  wb )  QLowerface  (h7  h8 )
2 2

 S sin e S 
Bending Stiffness Matrix
  QCorrugatio  (h1  h2 ) wt QC0rrugatio  (h6 _ h7 ) wb 
3 3 3 3

QUpperface  (h0  h1 )  2 2  
3 3
1 S 2 S 2 
D (19)

3  QCorrugatio  (h35  h53 ) t QFoam  (h23  h73 ) 

 2  (wt  wb )  QLowerface  (h7  h8 )
3 3

 S sin e S 
Where the matrix Q can be calculated for each component as follows:

 EL iTL E L 
1  i i 0 
1  i LT iTL
 LT TL

i E ET
Q   LT T 0  (20)
1  i LT iTL 1  i LT iTL 
 0 0 G LT 
 
 

As for a laminated composite plate the engineering constants can be calculated as

follows:

1
EL 
h  a11
1
ET  (21)
h  a 22
1
G LT 
h  a33
and the Poisson's ratios are:

a12
 LT  
a11
(22)
a12
 TL  
a 22

where h is the overall thickness of the panel.

2. Numerical results

Numerical studies are made for three kinds of corrugated sandwiches panels. Different size of
corrugate steps, thickness of corrugates and types of foam have been considered, Fig. 3, 4, 5.
The material and geometrical parameters are shown in Table 1. Material properties are shown
in Table 2. Equivalent properties the corrugated configurations of sandwich plate after
calculation are presented in Table 3.

Top layer R3 25 Corrugate layer C1

Foam D60
3
25

60
°
3
1

1
Bottom layer R3

Figure 3. First configuration of corrugated sandwich plate

Top layer R3 15 Corrugate layer C1

Foam D130
2,5
25

60
°

1
1
2

Bottom layer R3
2,5

Figure 4. Second configuration of corrugated sandwich plate

 Top layer R5 15 Corrugate layer C1
Foam D200
2,5
25

60
°

1
1
2

Bottom layer R5
2,5

Figure 5. Third configuration of corrugated sandwich plate

Table 1. Material and geometrical parameters of the different corrugated configurations

analysed
Material and
geometrical 1 Configuration 2 Configuration 3 Configuration
parameters
Skin Layer Material R3 R3 R5
Corrugation Material C1 C1 C1
Foam Core D60 D130 D200
Number of layers of 1 2 1
the Corrugation
Corrugation 1.0 2.0 1.0
thickness [mm]
Corrugation Angle 60 60 60
[degree]
Corrugation Contact 25 15 15
length [mm]

Table 2. Material properties

Material EL ET GLT Wf  Ф t
[MPa] [MPa] [MPa] [g/m2] [g/cm3] [%] [mm]
Unsatured Polyester 2.7 2.7 - - 1.2 - -
(curred)
R3 4200 4200 1750 850 - 20 2.5
R5 10600 10600 4416 1150 - 27 2.5
C1 12870 12870 4220 1170 - 46 1.0
Foam D60 60 60 22 - 60 - -
Foam D130 175 175 55 - 130 - -
Foam D200 310 310 90 - 200 - -
Note: Wf - Fibre area weight of each ply
EL - Longitudinal Young Modulus  - density
ET - Transverse Young Modulus Ф - Fibre Volume fraction
GLT - Shear Modulus t - thickness

Table 3. Equivalent properties of the different configurations, MPa

Equivalent properties 1 Configuration 2 Configuration 3 Configuration
EPx 1457 2091 3014
EPy 1044 1275 2890
GPxy 572 811 1176
GPxz 28.5 102.3 149.5
GPyz 20.3 50.7 81.7

Note:
EPx - Panel equivalent Longitudinal Young Modulus
EPy - Panel equivalent Transverse Young Modulus
GPxy -Panel equivalent in-plane Shear Modulus
GPxz -Panel equivalent Transverse Shear Modulus
GPyz -Panel equivalent Transverse Shear

Conclusion
Straightforward formulation has been developed for the problem equivalent stiffness properties
of corrugated sandwich structures and accurate and comprehensive numerical results for three
kind of corrugated sandwich panel have been done. In the analysis, the corrugated sandwich
panel is modeled as an orthotropic shell by using classical lamination theory. The obtained
formulation can be used for practical application in the design of structures from corrugated
sandwich composites

Literature

1. Halpin J. C., Primer on Composite Materials: Analysis // Technomic Publishing, 1984

2. Kildegard A., Rasmussen A.K.H., Fynbo J., Olesen B., Experimental and Numerical Study of
Curved Sandwich Panels // Aalaborg University , 1999
3. Lok Tat-Cheng, Cheng Quian-Hua, Bending and forced vibration response of a clamped
orthotropic thick plate and sandwich pane // In: Journal of Sound and Vibration, 2001, 245, N1,
63-68
4. Timoshenko S., Woinowsky Krieger, 1959, Theory of Plates and Shells, 2nd Edition, McGrow
Hill

Aleksandrs Korjakins, Rīgas Tehniskā Universitāte, Kāļķu 1, Rīga, asoc. profesors, aleks@latnet.lv

Andrejs Kovaļovs, Rīgas Tehniskā Universitāte, Kāļķu 1, Rīga, doktorants

GOFRĒTA SENDVIČA PANEĻA EKVIVALENTAS ELASTĪGĀS ĪPAŠĪBAS

A. Korjakis, A. Kovaļevs

Anotācija

Viena no biežāk lietotiem sendviča paneļa vidus slāņiem ir gofrētais šķiedru plastiks kopā ar putuplastu.
Precīzas elastīgo īpašību vērtības dot iespēju daudz racionālāk izmantot šāda veida sendviča konstrukcijas. Dotā
darba mērķis ir iegūt precīzas un tanī paša laikā ērtas (vienkāršas) formulas, kuras varētu izmantot gofrēta
sendviča konstrukciju modelēšanai. Gofrētas sendviča konstrukcija tika izskatīta kā plānsienu čaula, balstoties uz
klasisko čaulas teoriju. Izmantojot daudzslāņu kompozīto teoriju, ir izstrādāts algoritms gofrēta sendviča
konstrukciju stinguma matricas un inženieru konstanšu noteikšanai. Gofrētas leņķis, putuplasta blīvums, slāņu
daudzums apšuvumā un gofrē ir izejas parametri, kuri nosaka ekvivalentas sendviča konstrukcijas elastīgās
īpašības. Kā piemēri, ir aplūkoti trīs dažādi gofrēta sendviča paneļu veidi.

EQIVALENT ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF CORRUGATED SANDWICH PANEL

A. Korjakins, A. Kovaļovs

Abstract
One from the actual cores used in load carrying sandwich constructions is corrugated laminate with foam.
The exact values of elastic properties allow using such kind of sandwich constructions more effective. The main aim of
this paper is to obtain exact and simultaneously convenient for applying equivalent elastic properties of corrugated
sandwich panel. The corrugated sandwich panel considered as an orthotropic thin shell by using the classical shell
theory. Using the theory of laminates elaborated algorithm for definition the stiffness matrices and engineering
constants for corrugated sandwich construction. Angle of corrugate, kind of foam, number of layers for skin and
corrugate may be varied for definition the equivalent elastic properties of sandwich structure. As example, the
calculation of elastic properties for three kind of corrugated sandwich panel is presented.

ЭКВИВАЛЕНТНЫЕ УПРУГИЕ СВОЙСТВА ГОФРИРОВАНЫХ СЭНДВИЧ ПАНЕЛЕЙ

А. Корякин, А. Ковалев

Аннотация

Гофрированый ламинат с пенопластом является одним из самых актуальньных заполнителей

среднего слоя для сэндвич конструкций. Точные значения упругих свойств такого типа сэндвич кострукций
позволяет их их использовать более эффективно. Главной целью этой работы является определение точных
и одновременно удобных для применеия эквивалентных упругих свойств гофрированной сэндвич панели.
Гофрированная сэндвич панель рассматривается, используя классическую теорию оболочек, как
ортотропная тонкая оболочка. Используя теорию слоистых композитов разработан алгоритм для
определения матрицы жесткости и инженерных костант для гофрированной сэндвич кострукций. Угол
гофры, тип пены, число слоев в обшивке и гофре могут меняться при определении эквивалентных упругих
свойств гофрированной сэндвич кострукции. В качестве примера определены эквивалентные упругие
свойства трех видов гофрированной сэндвич панели.