Influence of mesh density and element type on the accuracy of FE analysis of periodic cellular structures

摘要

Metallic sandwich panels based on lattice cell structures have been developed for a wide range of potential applications with their lightweight and multi-functionality. Structural performance of sandwich panels can be predicted from the studies on the mechanical properties of a unit cell. Numerical investigations on the unit cell can provide efficient guidelines for the design of overall core structures for a specific application. When any types of external forces are applied on the sandwich panel, each truss member of the unit cell undergoes severe plastic deformation without any restrictions so that the deformation behavior is strongly dependent on mesh density and element type. Therefore, in order to improve simulation accuracy and minimize calculation time, it is necessary to investigate the influence of element type and mesh density on that. In this work, as the preparatory stage to predict the mechanical behavior of a pyramidal unit cell, a series of finite element simulations for various element sizes and types were carried out. The influence of mesh density and element type on the simulation accuracy was investigated in diverse aspects; calculation time, resultant load, deformed geometry, effective modulus and peak stress.