The Thomsen model of inserts in sandwich composites: An evaluation

TL;DR

This paper evaluates a one-dimensional finite element model for sandwich panels with inserts, showing it closely matches a more complex two-dimensional model for small deformations, especially with foam cores.

Contribution

It introduces and validates a simplified one-dimensional model for sandwich panels with inserts, demonstrating its effectiveness for small deformation scenarios.

Findings

One-dimensional model closely matches two-dimensional results.

Model is effective for small deformations of foam-core sandwich panels.

Homogeneous core assumption is valid for the model.

Abstract

An one-dimensional finite element model of a sandwich panel with insert is derived using the approach used in the Thomsen model. The one-dimensional model produces results that are close to those of a two-dimensional axisysmmetric model. Both models assume that the core is homogeneous. Our results indicate that the one-dimensional model may be well suited for small deformations of sandwich specimens with foam cores.