Investigation of Thermomechanical Material Properties of Functionally Graded Sandwich Composite Plates with Metamaterial Honeycomb Core Layer

In this article, the thermomechanical properties of a composite sandwich plate with functionally graded (FG) surface layers and a metamaterial honeycomb core layer are investigated under temperature loading.The hexagonal honeycomb core plate is sandwiched between two surface layers with FG stainless steel (SUS304) and zirconia (ZrO2) metal-ceramic matrix.The mechanical and thermal behavior of the core and surface layers changes depending on the temperature.Power law functions and Gibson's equations are employed to specify the equivalent effective material properties of the sandwich plate.Numerical analyses are carried out to investigate the effect of variables such as geometrical parameters of the honeycomb structure, temperature rise and power law parameter on the variation of the thermomechanical material behavior of the sandwich plate.According to the analysis results, it is concluded that the desired thermal and mechanical properties can be tuned by adjusting the honeycomb cell geometric configurations and the material compositions of the FG layers.It is also emphasized that the combination of mechanical and thermal properties in honeycomb structures enables them to perform effectively in demanding environments, where both strength and thermal resistance are required.