3D elasticity analysis of sandwich panels with graded core under distributed and concentrated loadings

Sandwich panels are a type of panel offering weight savings over standard single layer panels, whilst remaining both strong and stiff. However, due to the mismatch of properties between the face sheets and the core, stress concentrations can occur at the face sheet/core interfaces, often leading to delamination. One possible solution to this problem is the introduction of a functionally graded core—a core in which the properties vary gradually from the face sheets to the centre, eliminating any abrupt changes in properties. This paper presents a three-dimensional elasticity analysis for a sandwich panel with stiffness of the core graded in the thickness direction, on the basis of the recently developed 3D elasticity solution. A comparative study of panels with homogeneous and functionally graded cores is carried out to examine the effect of introducing a graded core on the stress and displacement fields under five different loading configurations (uniformly distributed, patch, point, hydrostatic and line).