Thermo-structural performance and flow analysis of X-latticed honeycombs with plate or corrugated walls

In this paper, an improved periodic cellular material (PCM), called X-lattice cored corrugated honeycomb (XCCH), which combines X-lattice with corrugated honeycomb is proposed. Compressive strength and convective heat transfer characteristics of this PCM are explored by comparisons with the X-lattice cored plate honeycomb (XCPH). A series of experiments and numerical simulations were carried out. In terms of heat transfer, at the same Reynolds number, the overall Nusselt number of the XCCH is 6–11% higher experimentally and 9–14% higher numerically than that of the XCPH. Besides, although the introduction of corrugated fins increases the friction factor of the XCCH by 40%, the heat transfer performance of the XCCH is still 4.2–4.9% better experimentally and 5.6–7.1% better numerically than that of the XCPH. The corrugated fin makes the vortex pairs in the channel closer to each other and improves the turbulent kinetic energy at the vortices’ boundary, which is the dominant mechanism of the enhanced heat transfer. In terms of mechanical strength, the compressive strength of the XCCH is 20% higher than that of the XCPH. The corrugated fins increase the effective moment of inertia; further, the increased specific surface area improves the material’s ability to absorb energy. These two factors are responsible for the improved mechanical strength of the XCCH.