low velocity impact response of sandwich beams with composite face-sheets and foam or honeycomb core: analytical modeling and finite element simulation

In this paper, an analytical solution for the static indentation and low velocity impact response of composite sandwich beams with an orthotropic symmetric composite face-sheets and foam or honeycomb core is presented. the indentation force during impact loading consists of two regimes, one for small indentations of the top face-sheet due to bending moments and the other for larger deformation due to membrane forces. also, the crushable core is considered a rigid-plastic foundation, and the elastic aspect is neglected. to obtain a more accurate approximation of the static indentation of the beam, both the local and global deformation of the sandwich beam are considered. the minimum potential energy method is applied for the extraction of governing equations. furthermore, by developing a three dimensional finite element model through the abaqus code, the low velocity impact on composite sandwich beams with foam core is simulated. the contact force history, maximum contact force, and upper face-sheet displacement results computed by the analytical model are compared with experimental and abaqus simulations. a good agreement between the analytical model, finite element simulation, and experimental results, is observed.