Optimization of Hybrid Core Designs in 3D-Printed PLA+ Sandwich Structures: An Experimental, Statistical, and Computational Investigation Completed with Bibliometric Analysis

This work presents the experimental test and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of six core profiles (i.e. Square, Circle, Ellipse, Octagon‎, ‎Pentagon, and Hexagon grids) on mechanical properties of 3D-printed Polylactic Acid Plus (PLA+) sandwich ‎panels. Tensile and ‎flexural tests were carried out to evaluate the structural performance of each core ‎geometry; FEA in Abaqus was employed to study the stress distribution and ‎deformation patterns. In contrast, the mechanical properties were the highest for the hexagonal and pentagonal cores ‎with ‎tensile strengths of 45.2 and 43.8 MPa, respectively, and flexural strengths of 290 and 323 ‎MPa, respectively. ANOVA and Tukey's HSD tests indicated that core geometry significantly ‎influences the flexural strength of sandwich panels of 0.94. The new hybrid hexagonal-octagonal core ‎geometry was henceforth proposed to continue the quest for structural efficiency. The integration of the experimental and numerical approaches in such a way that validates the reliability of the FEA model itself gave less than 6% error in predicting flexural strength.