Energy absorbed ability and damage analysis for honeycomb sandwich material of bio-inspired micro aerial vehicle under low velocity impact

Because of the advantages of light weight, small size, and good maneuverability, the bio-inspired micro aerial vehicle has a wide range of application prospects and development potential in military and civil areas, and has become one of the research hotspots in the future aviation field. The beetle’s elytra possess high strength and provide the protection of the abdomen while being functional to guarantee its flight performance. In this study, the internal microstructure of beetle’s elytra was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a variety of bionic thin-walled structures were proposed and modelled. The energy absorption characteristics and protective performance of different configurations of thin-walled structures with hollow columns under impact loading was analyzed by finite element method. The parameter study was carried out to show the influence of the velocity of impactor, the impact angle of the impactor and the wall thickness of honeycomb structure. This study provides an important inspiration for the design of the protective structure of the micro aerial vehicle.