Determinação de constantes elásticas de estrutura sanduíche com núcleo em papel celulose e faces em não-tecido composto

Abstract

Sandwich structures are used in various areas of application such as the automotive, marine, aeronautical and furniture industries. The reasons for their use range from the high structural efficiency to low cost. In the automotive industry, they are used in conventional vehicles as well as in high-end sports cars. An alternative of low-cost structures is that of cores made of cellulose paper and faces of thermoplastic composites. Some vehicles already use these materials in parts with flat shape or with small curvatures. The main purposes of using them are the reduction of the total weight of the vehicle, the increase of recyclability and the multifunctional design (environmental, aesthetic, acoustic, thermal and structural functions simultaneously). However, one of the difficulties that arises in the design of these components is the prediction of their structural behavior, since such materials are difficult to characterize. So, this work presents some methods to assess the elastic properties of sandwich cores composed of hexagonal (honeycomb) and sinusoidal cells of Testliner paper and faces of polypropylene/fiberglass nonwoven. The in-plane equivalent elastic properties of the core are obtained through a numerical finite element beam model, which is validated with an analytical method for hexagonal cells. For the out-of-plane equivalent properties, an experimental procedure is carried on, where sinusoidal cell cores are tested on a traction machine. In this case, the dimensions of the cell are changed, as well as the grammages of the papers. The equivalent elastic properties of the face are obtained through a numerical plane finite element model.