Effect of face sheet stacking on sandwich panel loaded beyond the yield limit

Abstract Many industrial applications have made use of sandwich panels. A sandwich panel is made up of a low-density core material and two face skins with a high modulus. The core is usually made of a softer material than the face sheets. The current study shows how fiber-reinforced composite face sheets impact sandwich panel performance beyond the yield limit of the core material. The load has been progressively increased in a quasi-static manner until the multi-linear core material begins to yield at 0.7125 MPa. The panel is simulated using a finite element analysis software program. The symmetry of the panel has been employed to model a quarter of it. The model has been verified using experimental and numerical examples obtained from the literature. The panel deformation behavior of the experimental investigation and earlier work are in excellent accord with the finite element model of the current investigation. This study demonstrates that when the core material beyond the yield limit, the panel’s load carrying capacity rises by a maximum of 24%. As the core passes the yield limit, the load transmitted to the face sheets increases. Plastic strain is experienced by the core up to the fixed borders. Composite face sheets are a preferable option for engineering applications because they perform better in carrying more load relative to the sheet metal ones since the composite face sheets have higher strength compared to the metal ones. Compared to composite face sheets, aluminum face sheets approach yielding sooner; the composite panel reached 74% whereas the aluminum panel reached 88% relative to face sheets yield limits respectively. The deflection that each panel experiences in relation to the others is almost the same.