The effect of non-uniformity on the in-plane modulus of honeycombs

An approximate analysis is presented of the Young's modulus of two-dimensio nal (isotropic) cellular materials with a distribution of cell dimensions a nd cell wall thicknesses. Two approaches are used to estimate the modulus: one is based on an energy balance and the other involves a separate calcula tion of stress and strain. The estimated moduli depend on the moments of th e distributions of wall widths and wall thicknesses and are affected by an eventual correlation between the two distributions. Actual Values for three -connected foams are calculated for particular distributions. (C) 1999 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.