Effect of Ring-Stiffened Opening on the Ultimate Strength of Corrugated Steel Sandwich Panel

The strength of a laser-welded steel corrugated sandwich panel with a circular opening at the center under compressive in-plane load is studied numerically. The opening is stiffened with a ring and the effect of the stiffening ring on the strength of the sandwich panel is assessed. Corrugated sandwich panels are structural components that have mechanical behavior under the impact, bending, and in-plane loading. Thus, they are widely used in structures that operate in severe loading conditions such as marine and aerospace structures. The sandwich panel is modeled in Ansys software using shell elements and the welding connection between the faceplate and corrugated core is modeled with shell elements. The contact between the faceplate and corrugated core is defined as frictionless contact, so the faceplate and core panel are both thin-walled structures that are free to buckle independently. It was deduced that the ring’s thickness can change the strength of the sandwich panel, but it does not increase the strength up to the strength of the intact plate. Also, it was found the opening diameter can decrease the strength of the sandwich panel dramatically.

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