Numerical investigation and optimization on performance of sandwich panel structures with honeycomb core subjected to blast loading by response surface methodology

In this paper, the effect of differed loading conditions, as well as structure geometries on the behavior of sandwich panel structures under uniform blast loading, has been investigated. For this, a full 3D numerical model by using ABAQUS/Explicit commercial software was employed in order to simulate the dynamic response and plastic deformation of sandwich panel structures with a honeycomb core. The available experimental results were used to validate the numerical model. Afterward, in a rigorous parametric study, the influences of several effective parameters on the resistance of structure such as the front and back metallic layer thicknesses, the number of webs, and thickness of honeycomb core cell wall under three different mass weights of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 kg were studied. In the following, by using Response Surface Methodology, an appropriate equation was developed to predict the central permanent deflection of back and front layers. The obtained results showed that there is a well-agreement between experimental and numerical results predicted by the regression model. The high correlation coefficient between the studied parameters and the structure behavior (R2 = 0.99) indicates that the proposed model has great accuracy.