Mechanical properties and energy absorption capabilities of aluminium foam sandwich structure subjected to low-velocity impact

Abstract

Aluminium foam sandwich structures have notable advantages in energy absorption for impact protection. In this study, experiment and numerical analysis were conducted to explore the dynamic behaviours, mechanisms of deformation and damage, and energy absorption for aluminium foam sandwich structures suffering from low-velocity impact. Using a drop-hammer tester, the low-velocity impact experiments were conducted on the sandwich structure under different impact energies. The numerical calculation model was established based on ABAQUS, and the corresponding numerical analysis was performed and verified against the test results. The influences of face sheet thickness, core height and density on the performance of energy absorption for the sandwich structures were quantitatively evaluated according to energy absorption indicators. The researches indicate that the force–displacement curves exhibited three typical patterns for aluminium foam sandwich structures suffering from various low-velocity impact energies. The thickness of face sheet, core height and density had significant influence on the property of sandwich structure resistance to impact, and the combination of impact energy and energy absorption indicators play a vital role in the optimal design of sandwich structures. The present work can provide a significant reference to anti-collision design and energy absorbing evaluation for aluminium foam sandwich structures suffering from low-velocity impact.