Core and skins sandwich panels components can be defined in Micross at a macro or micro level.

Honeycomb core modeling in Micross: the user can choose to directly input the macroscopic stiffness of the honeycomb or to define the geometry of the honeycomb cell. In this last case, the homogenized stiffness properties are computed by Micross.

Skins modeling in Micross and Digimat-MF: the same choice is available. A skin is made of several layers piled up in a given order, with given orientations and thickness. Each layer can be defined at the macro or micro level. In this last case, Digimat-MF is used to compute the macroscopic stiffness properties of the layer based on the description of its microstructure.

Micross is used as a “numerical material lab machine” to predict the behavior of a given sandwich panel submitted to a classical standardized loading test for sandwich. Available loadings are:                 - 3-point bending test                 - 4-point bending test                 - In-plane shear test Micross can also be used as a “numerical tests machine” to predict the influence of the honeycomb cell shape and dimensions:                - on the honeycomb macroscopic stiffness properties                - on the behavior of a complete sandwich panel For each analysis, a detailed HTML report can be automatically generated. This reports contains some key results and a summary of the modeled sandwich. Digimat-MF is used for the homogenization of the layers, directly from within Micross in a completely seamless way for the user. This allows accurate modeling of laminate skins made of fiber reinforced materials.

• Micross is an accurate tool to predict honeycomb core sandwich panels properties with respect to geometry, density, angles, … and obtain the required mechanical properties time and costs efficiently. Jean-Pierre Botman, Project Leader, Process & Engineering Euro-Composites