Hi Warren, have you had any subjects on composites?
The bending stiffness, as you have shown, will increase dramatically with the use of a core material (honeycomb).
A friend of mine at uni did extensive research on methodology and layup-design for formula student this year. This year (3rd year of competing) they do a complete monocoque design.
I could send you his thesis if you are interested. Also, I have a introduction compendium to composite design I could send you. Its made by a really skilled professor of mine, and covers the basics. In combination with the thesis I would imagine you would be busy for a while.
I´m actually specializing in composite materials; and the main problem of using it is the inaccuracies while producing parts. There are several failure criteria (safety factors) you can employ during FEA, however it demands highly skilled production.
What software are you using for FEA? I recommend importing a shell model in to abaqus, and design it from there, though this will require an insane amount of work!
Are you a mechanical engineer?
Last edited by nixon_2wd; 08-11-2013 at 09:04 AM.