A numerical study of the impact perforation of sandwich panels with graded hollow sphere cores

Abstract

In this study, we numerically investigate the impact perforation of sandwich panels made of 0.8 mm 2024-T3 aluminum alloy skin sheets and graded polymeric hollow sphere cores with four different gradient profiles. A suitable numerical model was conducted using the LS-DYNA code, calibrated with an inverse perforation test, instrumented with a Hopkinson bar, and validated using experimental data from the literature. Moreover, the effects of quasi-static loading, landing rates, and boundary conditions on the perforation resistance of the studied graded core sandwich panels were discussed. The simulation results showed that the piercing force–displacement response of the graded core sandwich panels is affected by the core density gradient profiles. Besides, the energy absorption capability can be effectively enhanced by modifying the arrangement of the core layers with unclumping boundary conditions in the graded core sandwich panel, which is rather too hard to achieve with clumping boundary conditions.

Enhancing mechanical properties of cellular core sandwich panels: a review of topological parameters and design improvements

“…They offer a promising solution to overcome the drawbacks of traditional multi-layered cores while enhancing the overall performance of sandwich panels. Elnasri and Zhao [115] numerically investigated the impact perforation of sandwich structures with graded polymeric hollow sphere cores. The density gradient profiles were varied with different sequencing of the layer density, either from increasing or decreasing order.…”