Vibroacoustic flexural properties of symmetric honeycomb sandwich panels with composite faces

The vibroacoustic bending properties of honeycomb sandwich panels with composite faces are studied from the wavenumber modulus to the mechanical impedance, passing through the modal density. Numerical results extracted from finite element software computations are compared with analytical results. In both cases, the homogenization method is used to calculate the global properties of the sandwich panel. Since faces are made of composite material, the classical laminate theory serves as reference. With particular conditions used in the application for symmetric panels, the original allotropic mechanical properties can be reduced simply to three parameters commonly used in vibroacoustic characterizations. These three parameters are the mass per unit area, the bending rigidity and the out shear rigidity. They simultaneously govern the wavenumber modulus, the modal frequencies, the modal density and the mechanical impedance. For all of these vibroacoustic characterizations, a special frequency called the transition frequency separates two domains. In the first domain, below the transition frequency or for low frequencies, the orthotropic sandwich panel has a classical isotropic plate behavior. In the second domain, above the transition frequency or for high frequencies, the out shear rigidity is very significant and changes the behavior. However, the results discussed are only valid up to a certain frequency which is determined by the thickness and out-of-plane shear stiffness of the honeycomb core, the thickness and the bending stiffness of the laminated face sheets and then the mass per unit area and bending stiffness of the total sandwich structure. All these parameters influence the final choice of model and simplifications presented. Experimental measurements of the bending wavenumber modulus and modal frequencies for our own application were carried out. In the vibroacoustic domain, the critical frequency is also an important frequency. It again depends on the mass per unit area, the bending rigidity and the out-of-plane shear rigidity. The experimental and numerical results of the article are reasonably in agreement with the analytical formula. They all confirm the changes in frequency through different boundary conditions around the panel. The analytical modal frequencies of rectangular sandwich panels with transverse shear, under simply supported boundary conditions are well known, but under free boundary conditions it is more difficult to predict them. For experiments, however, these latter conditions are the most common. We present, in this paper, an analytical formula that we have developed for the modal frequencies of such a panel under free boundary conditions. All parameters being controlled, it is possible from dynamic measurements and with a special process to identify some honeycomb and composite mechanical properties. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.