Experimental and analytical study of dynamic response of sandwich beam under impact loading

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental and theoretical investigation into the dynamic response of novel lightweight sandwich beams with an aluminium foam core under impact loading. The deformation and failure modes of sandwich beams are presented first, and then the effects of face thickness, core thickness and loading intensity on the structural response were discussed. It is found that the dynamic response of sandwich beams is sensitive to structural configuration and applied impulse. In analytical modelling, a new yield criterion comprising the effects of plastic bending, stretching and core strength is adopted for the cross‐section of the sandwich beam. Results reveal that the experimentally measured deflections agree well with predictions of employing both the inscribing and circumscribing yield loci. The research results are of worth to optimal design of cellular metallic sandwich structures.

Keywords:

• Sandwich beam
• Dynamic response
• Impact loading

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 90716005, no. 10802055 and no. 10972153), Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China, the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province (grant no. 2007021005) and Program for the Homecomings Foundation and the Top Young Academic Leaders of Higher Learning Institutions of Shanxi, China.