Transverse shear modulus of SILICOMB cellular structures

This work describes the transverse shear stiffness properties of a novel honeycomb with zero Poisson’s ratio. The cellular configuration is simulated using a series of finite element models representing full-scale and representative unit cells of the honeycomb topology. The models are benchmarked against experimental results from pure shear and 3-point bending ASTM tests. The benchmarked models are used to perform a parametric study of the shear moduli (G13 and G23) against the geometry of the unit cell and the gauge thickness of the honeycomb panels. The shear stiffness maps obtained allow comparison of the SILICOMB configuration against classical centresymmetric and rectangular honeycomb topologies.