Investigation of bird-strike resistance of composite sandwich curved plates with lattice/foam cores

Bird strike is one of the most significant threats to the safe operation of aircraft. Lattice material with high porosity and excellent energy absorption provides more designability for aircraft structures. This paper uses the Finite Element Method and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics to investigate the bird impact resistance of composite sandwich curved plates. Lattice material, foam, and lattice-foam hybrid cores are used in this study to enhance the composite against bird impact. The effects of different panel configurations and core structures on the impact response are considered. The results show that the lattice core sandwich structure can enhance the impact resistance of composite materials, mainly reflected in the minor deformation of the structure, which can significantly reduce the bird impact force and reduce the residual kinetic energy of the bird. A thinner front face-sheet assigned to the lattice material sandwich plate would give it better resistance to impact and deformation than the other two sandwich types. Furthermore, a thicker front face-sheet can better resist damage to the composite panel caused by bird impacts. • The impact damage and deformation modes of composite sandwich curved structures are investigated. • The (FCC) lattice core, foam core and lattice-foam hybrid core are used to enhance the impact resistance of the structures. • The effects of different panel configurations and core structures on the impact responses are considered.