Lighter and stiffer structural construction is required for space
rockets than those used in aviation. A reduction of only 1 Kg in the
weight of a rocket intended for a flight to Mars and back results in
saving 2 tons of propellant. At present, sandwich technology is
extensively used in Aeronautics and Aerospace fields. Sandwich panels
with thin composite face sheets are used due to their ability to produce
structures with high stiffness to weight and strength to weight ratios.
In this research, Finite Element (FE) model is generated for a
particular test configuration of honeycomb sandwich structure with
metallic (Aluminium) skins. In this modelling effort, the specimen is
modelled in such a way to simulate and analyze in a true sense.
Stability and non linear analysis is carried out using FEA software
SAMCEF. With geometric and material nonlinearity, the results are then
compared with the experimental ones. Force displacement curves acquired
from FEA and 3point bending test seem good enough for comparison.