Investigation of Polymer-Filled Honeycomb Composites with Applications as Variable Stiffness Morphing Aircraft Structures

Shape morphing in aerospace structures has the potential to reduce noise, improve efficiency, and increase the adaptability of aircraft. Among the many challenges in developing morphing technologies is finding suitable wing skin materials that can be both stiff to support the structural loads, while being elastic and compliant to support this shape morphing an minimize actuation energy. This remains an open challenge, but many possible solutions have been found in smart materials, namely shape memory alloys and polymers. Of these, shape memory polymers have received more attention for wing skins due to their low density and cost, and high elastic limits in excess of 100% strain, but they suffer from generally low overall moduli. Shape memory polymer composites have been considered to address this, typically in the form of particulate/nanoscale reinforcements or by using them as matrix materials in laminate composites. While these can serve to increase the stiffness of the composite, there is still a present need for reinforcement strategies that can also maintain the large changes in stiffness of shape memory polymers. An alternative shape memory composite relies on honeycomb materials with shape memory polymer infills. Previous research has shown that polymer filled honeycombs exhibit greater in-plane moduli greater than the infill or honeycomb alone, but there has been little research focused on understanding this behavior. Moreover, while most engineered cellular structures are comprised of symmetric and periodic cells, cellular structures in nature are commonly spatially varying, asymmetric networks, which have not been considered in these composites. Motivated by these challenges in designing materials for shape morphing, this work seeks to explore the use of shape memory polymer-filled honeycomb composites for use as variable stiffness materials. First, the interaction between infill and the honeycomb, and the relationship between the honeycomb geometry and the effective composite properties is not well understood. This research first investigates the mechanisms of stiffening in these composites through both unit cell finite element models and through experimental characterization. Parametric studies are completed for selected honeycomb geometry design variables, and three key mechanisms of stiffening are identified. Next, these mechanisms are further supported by experimental studies, and comparisons are made showing the limitations of the few existing analytic models. With the knowledge gained from these studies, shape memory polymer infills are considered to create variable stiffness composites. In the first study, sizing design variables are selected to parametric the honeycomb cell geometry, with the designs constrained to be symmetric in-plane. A constrained multiobjective design optimization is completed for two chosen performance objectives, and corresponding local sensitivity studies are completed as well. The results predict that these composites meet and exceed the current bounds of both shape memory polymers and their composites, but also variable stiffness materials in general. A great degree of tailorability is demonstrated, and the model predictions are validated against experimental results from fabricated honeycomb composite samples. Next, generally asymmetric cell geometries are considered by defining shape design variables for the cell geometry. These cells are constrained to be periodic but not symmetric, allowing for the possible benefits of asymmetric to be investigated. Additionally, interconnected and spatially varying multicell unit cells are considered, further allowing for the study of spatially varying cell geometries. Multiobjective optimizations are completed for two unit cell cases, and Pareto fronts are identified. The results are compared to both those from the sizing optimization study and to the current state of the art, and are similarly found to demonstrate high performance and a great degree of tailorability in effective properties.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Aerospace Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Aerospace and Ocean Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Squibb, Carson Owen

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Philen, Michael Keith

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Seidel, Gary D.
• Kapania, Rakesh K.
• Lowe, K. Todd
• Canfield, Robert Arthur

• Honeycomb Composites
• Shape Memory Polymers
• Optimization
• Finite Element Modeling
• Morphing Aircraft

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:36656

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/114492