Optimal design of sandwich floor panels made of high-strength composite materials considering stiffness constraints

The article considers the challenge of designing sandwich floor panels made of high-strength composites considering stiffness constraints. A dimensionless criterion is proposed for assessing the stiffness of floor panels. A new constraint equation determines an interrelation between geometrical parameters of composite constructions and a given criterion. A demo example and the results of designing a typical floor panel using a high-strength composite material are presented. The mass of a square meter of the structure is considered as an objective function, and the thickness of the skin and the height of the honeycomb core of a sandwich construction are considered as design variables. In order to find the optimal ratio of design variables, a graphical interpretation of the design problem is used considering strength and stiffness constraints in the design space. It is noted that the presence of restrictions on a given value of the permissible relative deflection leads to an increase in the required height of the honeycomb filler with an insignificant consumption of additional mass of the sandwich construction.