Out-of-Plane Compressive Behavior of Aluminum Honeycomb Under Fuzzy Uncertainty Analysis

Abstract

Aluminum honeycomb structures are widely used in energy-absorbing applications because of their high strength-to-weight ratio and excellent crush worthiness. Accurate prediction of their compressive response is essential for the design of lightweight structural components, yet uncertainties in material and geometric parameters can significantly influence structural performance. This study investigates the out-of-plane compressive behavior of aluminum honeycomb structures using explicit nonlinear finite element analysis combined with fuzzy uncertainty quantification. The finite element model was developed based on a published experimental configuration and validated against experimental results, achieving a deviation of only 2.5% in average crush load prediction. To improve computational efficiency during uncertainty propagation, a Bivariate-Cut High Dimensional Model Representation surrogate model was constructed and integrated with fuzzy analysis. Epistemic uncertainties were represented using triangular fuzzy numbers and propagated using both HDMR and Fuzzy Random Variable approaches. The results demonstrate that the proposed methods provide more comprehensive response bounds than conventional vertex-based approaches. The proposed framework offers a reliable tool for evaluating the influence of uncertain parameters on the compressive performance of aluminum honeycomb structures.