Quasi-3D Static and Dynamic Analysis of Undamaged and Damaged Sandwich Beams

Static and dynamic analyses of sandwich beams are performed by means of a finite element approach based on: (i) the Hermitian Zig–Zag theory, previously developed by the authors and (ii) the sublaminates approach; the possibility to divide not only the beam length but also its thickness in several sub-domains leads to improved capabilities in describing through-the-thickness distributions of displacements, strains and stresses. The proposed approach is also able to predict the response of damaged beams. The sandwich core is substituted by an equivalent orthotropic layer whose engineering constants are calculated using models proposed in literature. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated presenting and discussing some numerical results (vibration frequencies and static response for undamaged beams, static response of damaged beams). It is shown that the proposed approach is valid in determining global and local responses of sandwich beams.