Optimization of pin position and angle for Z-pin-reinforced foam core sandwich structures

• Autor(a) principal: Kerche, Eduardo Fischer
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Kairytė, Agnė, Członka, Sylwia, Silva, Amanda Albertin Xavier da, Tonatto, Maikson Luiz Passaia, Bresolin, Francisco Luiz, Delucis, Rafael de Ávila, Amico, Sandro Campos
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFRGS
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10183/254331
• topic: Painel sanduíche; Otimização; Sandwich panels; Three-point bending test; Vacuum bag; Finite element analysis; Structure optimization

Sandwich panels (SP) are very promising components for structures as they ally high levels of specific stiffness and strength. Civil, marine and automotive industries are some examples of the sectors that use SPs frequently. This work demonstrates the potential of manufacturing Z-pin-reinforced foam core SPs, using a design strategy that indicated optimal values for both pin position and angle, keeping the same pin diameter as determined in a previous study. A simple search algorithm was applied to optimize each design, ensuring maximum flexural stiffness. Designs using optimal pin position, optimal pin angle and optimal values for both parameters are herein investigated using numerical and experimental approaches. The optimal pin position yielded an increase in flexural stiffness of around 8.0% when compared to the non-optimized design. In this same comparison, the optimal pin angle by itself increased the flexural stiffness by about 63.0%. Besides, the highest increase in the maximum load was found for those composites, molded with optimized levels of pin position and pin angle, which synergistically contributed to this result. All results were demonstrated with numerical and experimental results and there was a good agreement between them.