Mechanism and Optimization of Quasi-Static Compression Performance in Hexagonal Honeycomb Sandwich Structures.

Lightweight load-bearing components are critical for advancing aerospace engineering, where hexagonal honeycomb sandwich structures have emerged as a preferred solution due to their exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. However, the synergistic regulation mechanism of geometric parameters on their quasi-static compression performance remains incompletely understood, and the lack of efficient multiobjective optimization frameworks hinders the balance between load-bearing capacity and lightweight design. Herein, we establish and validate a high-fidelity nonlinear finite element model to systematically characterize the effects of cell edge length, cell wall thickness, core height, and face sheet thickness on compression behavior, failure modes, and energy absorption characteristics. A multiobjective optimization framework based on the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is developed, with cell edge length and wall thickness identified as the dominant design variables. Quantitative analysis reveals that these two parameters contribute over 85% to the variation in peak load, and the scaling law