Technical Sciences and Applied Mathematics

TENSILE PROPERTIES ANALYSIS OF HONEYCOMB STRUCTURES

Lavinia GAVRIL*, Paul ROU**

*Henry Coand Air Force Academy, Brasov, Romania,

**Military Technical Academy, Romania

Abstract: An analysis of honeycomb structures mechanical properties is presented. The honeycomb

sandwich construction is one of the structural engineering developed and used in aerospace industry. The
honeycomb sandwich structures provide the benefits over conventional materials: very low weight, high
stiffness, durability and production cost savings. The finite element method is applied for the
determination of the elastic characteristics of the sandwich structure with honeycomb core, in terms of
constraints, loads and displacements.

Keywords: sandwich structures, honeycomb core, finite element analysis, elastic constants.

1. INTRODUCTION an orthotropic material, which requires the

elastic constants: Youngs modulus, E x , in x
The most important part of the aeronautical direction; E y , in y direction, E z , in z
structures, the helicopter main rotor blade, can
use exclusively composite materials. The most direction; i, j , Poissons ratio ( i, j x, y, z ),
frequent solution is that of the sandwich and shearing modulus G xy , G yz , G xz .
structure with a core made of a very light Hookes law generalized and detailed for
material, in which the external surfaces have an orthotropic material in relation with its axes
high strength limit. One of the most frequently has the following expression:
used structures for the core is the honeycomb
structure. Therefore, this paper present the 1 yx
x x y zx z
applications of the finite element method for Ex Ey Ez
the determination of the elastic characteristics
xy 1 zy
of the sandwich structure made of Dural y x y z (1)
boards and honeycomb core. Ex Ey Ez
In figure 1, a honeycomb core is presented, xz yz 1
the materials used being aluminum, paper or z x y z
carbon fiber, depending on the pressures to Ex Ey Ez
which the sandwich structure is subjected. xy yz zx
xy ; yz ; zx (2)
G xy G yz G zx
The following conditions are met:
xy yx yz zy zx xz
; ; ; (3)
Fig. 1 Honeycomb structure
Ex Ey Ey Ez Ez Ex

2. ANALYSIS 2.2 Analysis steps. The steps for finite

element analysis are: identification of the
2.1 Honeycomb structure characteristics. representative unit cell for the whole
The honeycomb structure will be considered honeycomb structure, meshing and applying
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 Tensile Properties Analysis of Honeycomb Structures

the boundary conditions, computation and
processing the results.
The cell of the structure is a hexagonal cell
and with this hexagonal cell it is possible to
describe the entire honeycomb core, using the
periodicity of the structure.
For the finite elements model, it is
developed only one portion of the hexagonal
cell unit of the honeycomb structure. By
multiplying this portion in relation with Ox
and Oy axes, one may notice that a real
honeycomb structure is obtained. This portion
will then be replaced in the final model by a
solid element having the same elastic and
weight characteristics.
A tri-dimensional element SOLID,
presented in figure 2, is used in problems of
structural analysis or thermal transfer. For the
structural analysis, each node has three
degrees of liberty, translations.
conditions are applied on the structure in terms
of constraints, loads and displacements.
Figure 3 presents the geometrical
characteristics of the unit cell portion
developed from the hexagonal honeycomb
structure.
Fig. 3 Geometrical characteristics of the developed
honeycomb structure sample
2.3 Axial load. The boundary conditions
along the axis are presented in table 1, and
figure 4.
Table 1 Boundary conditions
Node

Displacement 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Along X axis 0 / 0 / / 0.1 / 0.1

Traction along
X axis

Along Y axis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Along Z axis 0 0 0 0 / / / /

Along X axis 0 / 0 / / 0 / 0
Fig. 2 SOLID element with 20 nodes
Traction along
Y axis

Along Y axis 0 0 0 0 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05

Mention should be made that the two types
of elements previously presented are not Along Z axis 0 0 / / 0 0 / /
perfectly compatible due to the different
Along X axis 0 / 0 / / 0.1 / 0.1
Traction along

degrees of liberty of the nodes, that is,

Z axis

rotational degrees of liberty. The COSMOS/M Along Y axis 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

program allows for the continuity control Along Z axis 0 0 0 0 / / / /
between the solid elements such as TETRA5,
TETRA10 and SOLID and the diaphragm ones
(SHELL). Some restrictions are necessary in Traction along X axis Traction along Y axis

terms of coupling and connecting these 

incompatible elements by using an indicator 
for rigid links. This allows for an articulate 

link (HINGE) between the solid and

diaphragm elements that has to be stabilized Traction along Z axis

by applying sufficient frontier conditions. 
The developed analysis for the 
determination of the Youngs modulus and 
Poissons ratio, are the traction along the X
axis, along the Y axis and along the Z axis. Fig. 4 Boundary conditions
Once the structure is meshed, boundary 2.4 Results. The obtained results are
presented in table 2, whereas the
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 Technical Sciences and Applied Mathematics
displacements along the axis are represented in z 0.05066 19.4 0.2611 10 2
figure 5.
Substituting these results in equations (1)
Table 2 Results we obtain the following system of equations:
Traction Traction Traction
Results along along along 1 yx
X axis Y axis Z axis 0 3.985 3.835
Normal force along Ex Ey
267.8 222.3 0
X axis, Nx (N)
xy 1
1.666 10 2
Normal force along
Y axis, Ny (N)
446.5 395.2 0 3.985 3.835 (10)
Normal force along Ex Ey
0 0 219.81
Zaxis, Nz (N)
xz yz
0.2611 10 2
Displacement along
X axis, x (mm)
0.1 0 -0.021033 3.985 3.835
Displacement along Ex Ey
0 0.05 -0.012151
Y axis, y (mm)
Displacement along Traction along Y axis
-0.05066 -0.05335 0.2
Z axis, z (mm) - normal stress on x axis:

x 222.3 19.4 2 3 3.308MPa
Traction along X axis  Traction along Y axis - normal stress on y axis:
 y 394.2 19.4 6 3.386MPa

 - normal stress on z axis:
 z 0MPa
 - strain on x axis:
Traction along Z axis
 x 0

- strain on y axis:

y 0.05 2 3 1.4435 102

Fig. 5 Displacements field - strain on z axis:
z 0.05335 19.4 0.275 10 2
Based on these results, one can calculate:
Traction along X axis Substituting these results in equations (1)
- normal stress on x axis: we obtain the following system of equations:
x N x A yOz (4) 1 yx
0 3.308 3.386

x 267.8 19.4 2 3 3.985MPa Ex Ey

- normal stress on y axis: xy 1

1.4435 10 2 3.308 3.386 (11)
y N y A xOz (5) Ex Ey
y 446.5 19.4 6 3.835MPa xz yz
2.275 10 2 3.308 3.386
- normal stress on z axis: Ex Ey
z N z A xOy (6)
Traction along Z axis
z 0MPa - normal stress on x axis:
- strain on x axis: x 0MPa
x x lx (7) - normal stress on y axis:
2
x 0.1 6 1.666 10 y 0MPa
- strain on y axis: - normal stress on z axis:
y y ly (8) z 219.81 6 2 3
y 0 z 10.576MPa
- strain on z axis: - strain on x axis:
z z lz (9) x 0.021033 6 0.3505 10 2

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 Tensile Properties Analysis of Honeycomb Structures

- strain on y axis: reference orthotropy axes, the sample

2 mechanical characteristics have been
y 0.012151 2 3 0.3507 10
determined. Based on this work, an equivalent
- strain on z axis: model will be developed, in a static and
z 0.2 19.4 1.0309 10 2 dynamic calculus of a sandwich structure. This
Substituting these results in equations (1) method eliminates the disadvantages of
we obtain the following system of equations: analytical methods, and is successfully used to
solve calculus problems related to aeronautical
0.3505 10 2 zx 10.576 structures.
Ez
zy BIBLIOGRAPHY
0.3507 10 2 10.576 (12)
Ez
1. Almoreanu, E., Chiri, R. (1997). Bare
1
1.0309 10 2 10.576 i plci din materiale composite .
Ez Bucureti: Ed. Tehnic.
Solving the systems equations (10), (11), 2. Gay, D., Hoa, S.V., Tsai, S.W. (2002).
and (12), and considering equations (3), get Composite Materials. Design and
the following results for longitudinal modulus Applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
of elasticity and Poissons ratio: 3. Hadr, A. (2002). Structuri din composite
E x 14.28Pa stratificate. Bucureti: Ed. AGIR.
E y 13.06MPa 4. Jones, R.M. (1999). Mechanics of
Composite Materials. Londra: Taylor &
E z 1043.92MPa Francis.
xy E x 0.067 5. Nstsescu, V., tefan, A., Lupoiu, C.
yx E y 0.068 (2002). Analiza neliniar a structurilor
mecanice prin metoda elementelor finite.
yz E y 3.45 10 4 Bucureti: Ed. Academiei Tehnice Militare.
6. Ochoa, O.O., Reddy, J.N. (1992). Finite
zy E z 3.31 104
Element Analysis of Composite Laminates.
xz E x 3.28 10 4 Londra: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
7. Vasiliev, V.V., Morozov, E.V. (2007).
zx E z 3.31 10 4
Advance mechanics of composite materials.
Publisher Elsevier Ltd.
3. CONCLUSIONS 8. *** (2001). Modelisation et etude du
comportement dynamique sous COSMOS
The finite elements method is the most dune pale dhelicopter Dauphin.
effective method of numeric calculus in ENSIETA.
structure analysis, regardless of their type and 9. *** ANSYS Theory Reference.
complexity. By applying the constitutive law 10. *** COSMOS/M Theoretical Manual.
of an orthotropic material, only for the

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