Journal of Science  and Technology of Composites

Journal of Science and Technology of Composites

Numerical Simulation of the Bending Response of Biodegradable Sandwich Panels with Various Core Shapes and Materials by Finite Element Method

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, K.N.Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Biodegradable sandwich panels, as a new generation of environmentally friendly structures, have attracted considerable attention due to their ability to return to nature at the end of their service life. In this study, the flexural behavior of such panels was numerically investigated using the finite element method. The panel structure consists of flax fiber-reinforced skins and cores with various geometric configurations made from composite, wooden, and aluminum materials. Simulations were performed under identical loading conditions. The main objective was to evaluate and compare the mechanical performance of different core configurations in terms of stress distribution and energy absorption capacity. The results indicated that the combination of core shape and material has a significant influence on the flexural behavior of the panels. Overall, cores with curved geometries such as C-shaped and W-shaped exhibited superior performance compared to other shapes, while R-shaped and X-shaped cores showed the weakest results. Furthermore, although aluminum cores provided more uniform stress distribution, wooden and composite cores demonstrated better energy absorption performance. These findings can serve as a basis for the optimal design of biodegradable sandwich panels in structural applications.
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