A new indentation model for sandwich circular panels with gradient metallic foam cores

A new analytical model is presented to predict indentation behavior of the sandwich circular panel with gradient foam cores under a flat-end cylindrical indenter. In the model, a displacement field of the upper face sheet of the sandwich panel is assumed to be a cosine function and plateau stress of the gradient foam core varies with the mass density along the thickness direction of the sandwich panel. The sandwich panel is modeled as an infinite, isotropic, plastic membrane on a rigid-plastic foundation. The explicit solutions of the relation between the indentation force and maximum plastic regions of the upper face sheet are derived based on the principle of minimum work. The analytical results are validated using the finite element code ABAQUS^®. The influences of the gradient foam core on the maximum plastic region, the indentation force and the plastic strain energy of the sandwich panel are also investigated.     

面板材料对泡沫铝夹芯梁抗冲击性能的影响

为考查泡沫铝夹芯梁面板材料对其抗冲击性能的影响,运用数值模拟方法计算了相同重量下面板材料分别为304#不锈钢、工业纯铝和HRB335级钢三种泡沫铝夹芯梁在不同冲量作用下的动力响应;分析了面板材料对泡沫铝夹芯梁跨中变形及芯材压缩应变的影响.结果显示,在冲量相同的情况下,面板材料对泡沫铝夹芯梁的抗冲击性能有一定的影响;爆炸...     

Deformation and failure of clamped shallow sandwich arches with foam core subjected to projectile impact

The dynamic response of clamped shallow sandwich arches with core of aluminum foam has been experimentally studied by impacting the arches at mid-span with metal foam projectiles. The resistance to shock loading is measured by the permanent transverse deflection at mid-span of the arches. The deformation mechanisms of shallow sandwich arches were investigated. In addition, the deformation/failure modes of the shallow sandwich arch were classified and analyzed systematically. The effects of initial projectile momentum, face sheet thickness, core thickness and radius of curvature on the structural response were obtained. The results indicated that permanent deflection at mid-span can be efficiently controlled by increasing face sheet thickness, core thickness or appropriately increasing curvature. Meanwhile, shock resistance of the shallow sandwich arch can also be improved. The experimental results are useful in the optimum design of cellular metallic sandwich structures.     

Non-linear indentation behavior of foam core sandwich composite materials—A 2D approach

Light weight high performance sandwich composite materials have been used more and more frequently in various load bearing applications in recent decades. However, sandwich materials with thin composite face sheets and a low density foam core are notoriously sensitive to failure by localized external loads. These loads induce significant local deflections of the loaded face sheet into the core of the sandwich composite material, thus causing high stress concentrations. As a result, a complex multiaxial stressed and strained state can be obtained in the area of localized load application. Another important consequence of the highly localized external loads is the formation of a residual dent in the face sheet (a geometrical imperfection) that can reduce significantly the post-indentation load bearing capacity of the sandwich structure.This paper addresses the elastic–plastic response of sandwich composite beams with a foam core to local static loading. The study deals with a 2D configuration, where a sandwich beam is indented by a steel cylinder across the whole width of the specimen. The ABAQUS finite element package is used to model the indentation response of the beams. Both physical and geometrical non-linearities are taken into account. The plastic response of the foam core is modeled by the ¹CRUSHABLE FOAM and the ¹CRUSHABLE FOAM HARDENING option of the ABAQUS code. The purpose of the numerical modeling is to develop correct 2D simulations of the non-linear response in order to further understand the failure modes caused by static indentation. In order to verify the finite element model, indentation tests are performed on sandwich composite beams using a cylindrical indentor. The numerical results show good agreement with experimental test data.     

Compression strength of sandwich panels with sub-interface damage in the foam core

This paper addresses the effect of a local quasi-static indentation or a low-velocity impact on the residual strength of foam core sandwich panels subjected to edgewise compression. The damage is characterized by a local zone of crushed core accompanied by a residual dent in the face sheet. Experimental studies show that such damage can significantly alter the compressive strength. Theoretical analysis of the face sheet local bending is performed for two typical damage modes (with or without a face–core debonding). The solutions allow estimation of the onset of (a) an unstable dent growth (local buckling) or (b) a compressive failure in the face sheet. The theoretical results are in agreement with the test data for two considered sandwich configurations.     

Dynamic response of clamped sandwich beam with aluminium alloy foam core subjected to impact loading

The dynamic response of clamped sandwich beam with aluminium alloy open-cell foam core subjected to impact loading is investigated in the paper. The face sheet and the core of the sandwich beam have the different thickness. And the sandwich beam is impacted by a steel projectile in the mid-span. The impact force is recorded by using accelerometer. The results show that tensile crack and core shear are the dominant failure modes. And the impact velocity and the thickness of the face sheet and the foam core have a significant influence on the failure modes and the impact forces. Combining with the inertia effect and experimental results, the failure mechanisms of the sandwich beams are discussed. The thickness of the foam core plays an important role in the failure mechanism of the sandwich beam. In present paper, the failure of the sandwich beam with a thin core is dominated by the bending moment, while the sandwich beam with a thick core fails by bending deformation in the front face sheet and the bottom face sheet in opposite direction due to the plastic hinges in the front face sheet.     

Static indentation and unloading response of sandwich beams

This paper deals with analysis of foam core sandwich beams subject to static indentation and subsequent unloading (removal of load). Sandwich beams are assumed continuously supported by a rigid platen to eliminate global bending. An analytical model is presented assuming an elastic-perfectly plastic compressive behaviour of the foam core. An elastic part of indentation response is described using the Winkler foundation model. Upon removal of the load, an elastic unloading response of the foam core is assumed. Also, finite element (FE) analysis of static indentation and unloading of sandwich beams is performed using the FE code ABAQUS. The foam core is modelled using the crushable foam material model. To obtain input data for the analytical model and to calibrate the crushable foam model in FE analysis, the response of the foam core is experimentally characterized in uniaxial compression, up to densification, with subsequent unloading and tension until tensile fracture. Both models can predict load–displacement response of sandwich beams under static indentation and a residual dent magnitude in the face sheet after unloading along with residual strain levels in the foam core at the unloaded equilibrium state. The analytical and FE analyses are experimentally verified through static indentation tests of composite sandwich beams with two different foam cores. The load–displacement response, size of a crushed core zone and the depth of a residual dent are measured in the testing. A digital speckle photography technique is also used in the indentation tests in order to measure the strain levels in the crushed core zone. The experimental results are in good agreement with the analytical and FE analyses.     

Stability of the face layer of sandwich beams with sub-interface damage in the foam core

This paper addresses the effect of local indentation/impact damage on the bearing capacity of foam core sandwich beams subjected to edgewise compression. The considered damage is in a form of through-width zone of crushed core accompanied by a residual dent in the face sheet. It is shown that such damage causes a significant reduction of compressive strength and stiffness of sandwich beams. Analytical solutions estimating the Euler’s local buckling load are obtained for two typical modes of damage. These solutions are validated through experimental investigation of three sandwich configurations. The results of the analytical analysis are in agreement with the experimental data.     

钢板夹泡沫铝组合板抗爆性能研究

鉴于泡沫铝材料优异的吸能特性和夹层结构在强度、刚度上的优势,提出了分层结构为钢板-泡沫铝芯层-钢板的抗爆组合板。对厚度为10 cm、7 cm和5 cm的组合板进行了5组不同装药量的爆炸试验,考察了各板在不同装药量爆炸条件下的变形及破坏情况,并对变形破坏过程进行了理论分析。研究表明:组合板承受爆炸冲击荷载时,通过局部压缩变形和整体弯曲变形吸收能量。钢板相同时,适当增大泡沫铝芯层厚度,增强面板与芯层间连接,可提高该组合板的抗爆性能,防止组合板发生剥离,减小其承受爆炸冲击荷载时产生的变形。     

The structural response of clamped sandwich beams subjected to impact loading

The structural response of dynamically loaded monolithic and sandwich beams made of aluminum skins with different cores is determined by loading the end-clamped beams at mid-span with metal foam projectiles. The sandwich beams comprise aluminum honeycomb cores and closed-cell aluminum foam cores. Laser displacement transducer was used to measure the permanent transverse deflection of the back face mid-point of the beams. The resistance to shock loading is evaluated by the permanent deflection at the mid-span of the beams for a fixed magnitude of applied impulse and mass of beam. It is found that sandwich beams with two kind cores under impact loading can fail in different modes. Experimental results show the sandwich beams with aluminum honeycomb cores present mainly large global deformation, while the foam core sandwich beams tend to local deformation and failure, but all the sandwich beams had a higher shock resistance, then the monolithic beam. For each type of beams, the dependence of transverse deflection upon the magnitude of the applied impulse is measured. Moreover, the effects of face thickness and core thickness on the failure and deformation modes were discussed. Results indicated that the structural response of sandwich beams is sensitive to applied impulse and structural configuration. The experimental results are of worth to optimum design of cellular metallic sandwich structures.     

Quasi-static indentation tests on aluminium foam sandwich panels

Mechanical response and energy absorption of aluminium foam sandwich panels subjected to quasi-static indentation loads were investigated experimentally. These sandwich panels consisted of two aluminium face-sheets and a closed cell aluminium foam core (ALPORAS®). Quasi-static indentation tests were conducted using an MTS universal testing machine, with sandwich panels either simply supported or fully fixed. Force–displacement curves were recorded and the total energy absorbed by sandwich panels was calculated accordingly. Videos and photographs were taken to capture the deformation of top face-sheets, foam cores and bottom face-sheets. Effects of face-sheet thickness, core thickness, boundary conditions, adhesive and surface condition of face-sheets on the mechanical response and energy absorption of sandwich panels were discussed.     

Experimental investigation of compression failure of sandwich specimens with face/core debond

An experimental study of the in-plane compressive failure mechanism of foam cored sandwich specimens with an implanted through-width face/core debond is presented. Tests were conducted on sandwich specimens with glass/vinylester and carbon/epoxy face sheets over various PVC foam cores. Observation of the response of the specimens during testing showed that failure occurred by buckling of the debonded face sheet, followed by rapid debond growth towards the ends of the specimen. The compression strength of the sandwich specimens containing a debond decreased quite substantially with increasing debond size. A high-density core resulted in less strength decrease at any given debond size. Examination of the failure surfaces after separation of the face sheet and core revealed traces of core material deposited on the face sheet evidencing cohesive core failure. The amount of core material adhered to the face sheet decreased with increasing foam density indicating increasing tendency for core/resin interfacial failure.     

Experiments on curved sandwich panels under blast loading

In this paper curved sandwich panels with two aluminium face sheets and an aluminium foam core under air blast loadings were investigated experimentally. Specimens with two values of radius of curvature and different core/face sheet configurations were tested for three blast intensities. All the four edges of the panels were fully clamped. The experiments were carried out by a four-cable ballistic pendulum with corresponding sensors. Impulse acting on the front face of the assembly, deflection history at the centre of back face sheet, and strain history at some characteristic points on the back face were obtained. Then the deformation/failure modes of specimens were classified and analysed systematically. The experimental data show that the initial curvature of a curved sandwich panel may change the deformation/collapse mode with an extended range for bending dominated deformation, which suggests that the performance of the sandwich shell structures may exceed that of both their equivalent solid counterpart and a flat sandwich plate.     

Indentation study of Z-pin reinforced polymer foam core sandwich structures

Z-pin reinforced foam core sandwich panels with composite face sheets, supported on a rigid base and subjected to quasi-static indentation using spherical indenter was studied in this paper. The effects of configurations of Z-pin, including inclination angle and pinning density, on the load–indentation response were studied, and the resulting damage modes were investigated. The effect of inclination angle of pin on the load–indentation behavior is not notable compared with those of Z-pinning density and Z-pin configuration. The collapse of Z-pinned foam core is due to the buckling of pin, and the pin buckling is significantly dependent on the location of indenter. An approximate solution was developed based on the principle of minimum potential energy to simulate the indentation damage response of Z-pin reinforced foam core sandwich. The analytical predictions compare well with the experimental results.     

复合材料夹芯板低速冲击后弯曲及横向静压特性

对低速冲击后的复合材料Nomex 蜂窝夹芯板进行了纯弯曲和准静态横向压缩实验, 用X 光技术、热揭层技术和外观检测等对板内的损伤进行测量, 分析了被冲击面在受压情况下蜂窝夹芯板的弯曲破坏特点, 对比了横向静压与低速冲击所造成的板内损伤, 讨论了不同横向压缩速度时接触力P-压入位移$h 的变化规律和损伤情况。结果表明: 低速冲击可使蜂窝夹芯板的弯曲强度大幅度降低; Nomex 蜂窝夹芯板对低速冲击不敏感。      

泡沫铝层合梁的三点弯曲变形

研究了泡沫铝层合梁三点弯曲的载荷(P)-位移(δ)曲线、变形过程及面板破坏、夹芯剪切破坏、凹陷破坏等破坏模式。用极限载荷公式得到的计算值与实验值符合良好。实验所得的加载和卸载刚度(P/δ)与计算结果吻合较好。泡沫铝层合梁具有较低的密度((0.42～0.92)×10~3kg/m~3)和很高的弯曲比刚度(E~(1/2)/ρ)。利用极限载荷公式建立了破坏模式图。     

Response of thin-skinned sandwich panels to contact loading with flat-ended cylindrical punches: Experiments,numerical simulations and neutron diffraction measurements

The response of aluminium foam-cored sandwich panels to localised contact loading was investigated experimentally and numerically using flat-ended cylindrical punch of four varying sizes. ALPORAS and ALULIGHT closed-cell foams of 15 mm thickness with 0.3 mm thick aluminium face sheets (of 236 MPa yield strength) were used to manufacture the sandwich panels. Face sheet fracturing at the perimeter of the indenter, in addition to foam cells collapse beneath the indenter and tearing of the cell walls at the perimeter of the indenter were the major failure mechanisms of the sandwich panels, irrespective of the strength and density of the underlying foam core. The authors employed a 3D model in ABAQUS/Explicit to evaluate the indentation event, the skin failure of the face sheets and carry out a sensitivity study of the panel's response. Using the foam model of Deshpande and Fleck combined with the forming limit diagram (FLD) of the aluminium face sheet, good quantitative and qualitative correlations between experiments and simulations were achieved. The higher plastic compliance of the ALPORAS led to increased bending of the sheet metal and delayed the onset of sheet necking and failure. ALULIGHT-cored panels exhibited higher load bearing and energy absorption capacity, compared with ALPORAS cores, due to their higher foam and cell densities and higher yield strength of the cell walls. Additionally, they exhibited greater propensity for strain hardening as evidenced by mechanical testing and the neutron diffraction measurements, which demonstrated the development of macroscopically measurable stresses at higher strains. At these conditions the ALULIGHT response upon compaction becomes akin to the response of bulk material with measurable elastic modulus and evident Poisson effect.     

Damage Behaviors of Foam Sandwiched Composite Materials Under Quasi-Static Three-point Bending

This paper reports the quasi-static three-point bending damage behaviors of foam sandwiched composites in finite element analyses (FEA) and experimental. Finite element calculations were performed to characterize the static response of foam sandwich composites with different ply angle face sheets. Quasi-static three-point bending tests were conducted with a MTS materials testing system to obtain the load–displacement curves and energy absorption under quasi-static bending. A crushable foam model was used in order to explore the mechanical behaviors of core materials, while the Hashin criterion was employed to predict the failure of the face sheets. The load–displacement curves show a satisfactory agreement between the experimental and numerical results. The finite element calculations can also be used to obtain the failure mode included the core damage, face sheet damage and face-core interface damage. It can be observed that the damage at the core material can be classified as either core cracking or core crushing. The damage of the face sheet was through matrix cracking and delamination, with fiber breakage. The significant indentation occurs as a result of the fiber breakage. The face-core interface crack was typically induced by the cracks initiated from the tensile side and propagated to the compressive side.     

Large inelastic response of unbonded metallic foam and honeycomb core sandwich panels to blast loading

Sandwich panels constructed from metallic face sheets with the core composed of an energy absorbing material, have shown potential as an effective blast resistant structure. In the present study, air-blast tests are conducted on sandwich panels composed steel face sheets with unbonded aluminium foam (Alporas, Cymat) or hexagonal honeycomb cores. Honeycomb cores with small and large aspect ratios are investigated. For all core materials, tests are conducted using two different face sheet thicknesses. The results show that face sheet thickness has a significant effect on the performance of the panels relative to an equivalent monolithic plate. The Alporas and honeycomb cores are found to give higher relative performance with a thicker face sheet. Under the majority of the loading conditions investigated, the thick core honeycomb panels show the greatest increase in blast resistance of the core materials. The Cymat core panels do not show any significant increase in performance over monolithic plates.