Energy absorption diagrams of paper honeycomb sandwich structures

It is very important to evaluate the cushioning properties of paper honeycomb sandwich structures for optimizing pack design. The energy absorption diagram is one method to characterize the cushioning properties of materials. In this paper, we investigate energy absorption and develop energy absorption diagrams for paper honeycomb sandwich structures. Based on static compression experiments, the compressive stress–strain curve is simplified into three sections: linear elasticity, plateau and densification. By considering the factors associated with the structure of paper honeycombs, the energy absorption model is obtained and characterized by the thickness‐to‐length ratio of the honeycomb cell wall. Both theory and experiment show that the compression energy absorption capability increases with the increasing thickness‐to‐length ratio of the honeycomb cell wall, and a good agreement is achieved between the theoretical and experimental energy absorption curves. The proposed method to develop an energy absorption diagram for paper honeycomb sandwich structures can be used to characterize the cushioning properties and optimize the structures of paper honeycomb sandwiches. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.