• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제19권6호
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• pp.1333-1354
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• 2015

A higher order analytical solution for static analysis of a truncated conical composite sandwich panel subjected to different loading conditions was presented in this paper which was based on a new improved higher order sandwich panel theory. Bending analysis of sandwich structures with flexible cores subjected to concentrated load, uniform distributed load on a patch, harmonic and uniform distributed loads on the top and/or bottom face sheet of the sandwich structure was also investigated. For the first time, bending analysis of truncated conical composite sandwich panels with flexible cores was performed. The governing equations were derived by principle of minimum potential energy. The first order shear deformation theory was used for the composite face sheets and for the core while assuming a polynomial description of the displacement fields. Also, the in-plane hoop stresses of the core were considered. In order to assure accuracy of the present formulations, convergence of the results was examined. Effects of types of boundary conditions, types of applied loads, conical angles and fiber angles on bending analysis of truncated conical composite sandwich panels were studied. As, there is no research on higher order bending analysis of conical sandwich panels with flexible cores, the results were validated by ABAQUS FE code. The present approach can be linked with the standard optimization programs and it can be used in the iteration process of the structural optimization. The proposed approach facilitates investigation of the effect of physical and geometrical parameters on the bending response of sandwich composite structures.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.389-415
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• 2014

This study deals with dynamic model of composite sandwich panels with functionally graded flexible cores under low velocity impacts of multiple large or small masses using a new improved higher order sandwich panel theory (IHSAPT). In-plane stresses were considered for the functionally graded core and face sheets. The formulation was based on the first order shear deformation theory for the composite face sheets and polynomial description of the displacement fields in the core that was based on the second Frostig's model. Fully dynamic effects of the functionally graded core and face-sheets were considered in this study. Impacts were assumed to occur simultaneously and normally over the top and/or bottom of the face-sheets with arbitrary different masses and initial velocities. The contact forces between the panel and impactors were treated as internal forces of the system. Nonlinear contact stiffness was linearized with a newly presented improved analytical method in this paper. The results were validated by comparing the analytical, numerical and experimental results published in the latest literature.