An investigation on the structural performance of inserts within honeycomb sandwich panels is presented. The investigation considers metallic inserts in all aluminum sandwich panels and emphasis is placed on the structural performance difference between hot bonded and cold bonded inserts. The former are introduced during panel manufacture while the latter are potted into existing panels. The investigation focuses on the static performance of the two insert systems subject to loads in the normal direction to the facing plane. The experimental part of the work presented involved carrying out pullout tests on hot bonded and cold bonded reference samples by loading them at a centrally located insert. The experimental results were compared with results from an analytical model and results from a finite element model. Contrary to what was expected it was found from the experiments that the cold bonded inserts outperformed the hot bonded inserts in terms of load carrying capability. From the finite element study it was found that this was mainly due to the difference in stiffness of the different filler materials used in the two insert systems.
Due to their high specific strength and high specific stiffness properties the use of honeycomb panels is particularly attractive in spacecraft structures. However, the harsh environment produced during the launch of a satellite can subject the honeycomb cores of these sandwich structures to severe quasi-static and dynamic loads, potentially leading to static or early fatigue failures. Knowledge of the static and fatigue behavior of these honeycomb cores is thus a key requirement when considering their use in spacecraft structural applications. This paper presents the findings of an experimental test campaign carried out to investigate the static and fatigue behaviors of aluminum hexagonal honeycomb cores subject to in-plane shear loads. The investigation involved carrying out both static and fatigue tests using the single block shear test method. These results are also discussed in relation to the observed damage and failure modes which have been reported for the statically tested specimens and for the fatigue tested specimens at various stages of fatigue life. As well as conducting tests for the more conventional principal cell orientations (L and W), results are also presented for tests carried out at intermediate orientations to investigate the variation of core shear strength with loading orientation. The results are further investigated using explicit non-linear finite element analysis to model the buckling failure mechanisms of the tested cores.
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