High velocity impact modelling of sandwich panels with aluminium foam core and aluminium sheet skins

A finite element model is developed in this paper to simulate the perforation of aluminium foam sandwich panels subjected to high velocity impact using the commercial finite element analysis software LS-DYNA. The aluminum foam core is governed by the material model of crushable foam materials, while both aluminium alloy face sheets are modeled with the simplified Johnson-Cook material model. A non-linear cohesive contact model is employed to simulate failure between adjacent layers, and an erosion contact model is used to define contact between bullets and panels. All components in the model are meshed with 3D solid element SOLID 164. The developed finite element model is used to simulate the dynamic response of an aluminium foam sandwich panel subjected to projectile impact at velocity ranging from 76 m/s to 187m/s. The relationship between initial velocity and exit velocity of the projectile obtained from numerical modelling agrees well with that obtained from experimental study, demonstrating the effectiveness of the developed finite element model in simulating perforation of sandwich panels subjected to high velocity impact.