High efficiency analysis model for composite honeycomb sandwich plate by using variational asymptotic method

Abstract In this article, an equivalent model (called the two-dimensional equivalent plate model (2D-EPM)) of a composite honeycomb sandwich plate (CHSP) is developed using the variational asymptotic method (VAM). The three-dimensional (3D) geometric nonlinear problem of the CHSP is decoupled into a linear constitutive model over a unit cell and a geometric nonlinear problem defined in the 2D-EPM. In the linear constitutive model, the equivalent plate properties are calculated and imported into the 2D-EPM to carry out static, buckling, and vibration analysis. The effects of the layup configurations of the face sheet, geometric parameters of the honeycomb core, and boundary conditions on the equivalent stiffness and the static, buckling, and free-vibration responses are systematically studied. Compared with the 3D finite element method and 3D traditional equivalent model, the 2D-EPM possesses the merits of high precision and calculation efficiency. The equivalent stiffness and anisotropy of the CHSP are very sensitive to the layup configuration as well as the side length and cell corrugation angle of the honeycomb core. The present model can accurately capture the local field distribution within the unit cell as well as provides an effective method for the design and optimization of the CHSP.