Session: 01-01-02: General Topics of Aerospace Structures 2

Paper Number: 152379

152379 - Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Static Behaviour of Aluminum Sandwich Plates 

Sandwich composite structures, which are frequently used in aviation, are formed by the combination of the honeycomb, referred to as ‘core’, which provides a direct effect on the lightness of the structure in the middle part, while the upper and lower surfaces are surrounded by surfaces called ‘face’, which have high strength. Face and core structures can consist of different materials. Face structures are generally made of titanium, steel, aluminium and core structures are made of aluminium or fibre derivatives.

Sandwich structures, which are highly preferred in both the interior and exterior of aircraft, are lighter than metals. At the same time, considering their properties such as high strength, high fatigue resistance, low density, their usage area in the industry is increasing.

Thanks to their high strength, sandwich composite plates allow structural transport of systems with high weights in aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Structural analysis studies are carried out to examine the strength of the plates. These analyses are intensively examined under static loads.

In this study, sandwich composite plates that allow the placement of mission systems used in aircraft and mission system processor units located in the internal structure of the aircraft are examined. In this context, the focus is on plates with aluminum face and core structures.

The studies carried out on civil aircraft are examined by civil aviation authorities and evaluations are made by prioritising flight safety. The relevant evaluations also examine the results of the structural analysis of the design data of the systems integrated on the aircraft. The results of structural analyses are open to interpretation by the authority and their accuracy is also discussed.

This study investigates the verification of the data obtained from the analysis of the deformation of aluminium sandwich plates under static load using the finite element method with a test rig.

The Static Test Rig is able to examine the deformation on the plate thanks to the laser sensors it contains by applying loads to different parts of the plates connected to it in different cross-sectional areas.

When modelling aluminium sandwich plates in design programs, rather than a closed solid structure, a model in which the face and core structures are separated and the honeycomb geometry is reflected will be used. It is critical for this study to reduce the error percentage between the deformation values obtained from the static test setup and the analysis programme by using equivalent material properties while creating the finite element analysis model.

This study opens a field of study in the literature on the convergence of the load-deformation curve obtained in static test apparatus etc. with the graphs obtained by the finite element method.

Presenting Author: Cem Genç ASELSAN / Istanbul Technical University

Presenting Author Biography: I received my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Middle East Technical University in 2003 and my Master’s degree in 2006. Immediately after graduation, I started working as a Mechanical Analysis and Test Engineer at ASELSAN, Turkey’s largest defense industry company, within the MST Mechanical Design Department. Currently, I am working as a Senior Principal Engineer in the Thermal Control Design and Mechanical Analysis Department under the Radar and Electronic Warfare Business Sector of ASELSAN. After taking a long break from my doctoral studies, I completed my Ph.D. in February 2024. My doctoral research focused on Frequency Response Function-Based Model Updating in composite structures.