Experimental and numerical study of core and face-sheet thickness effects in sandwich panels with foam core and aluminum face-sheets subjected to blast loading

Sandwich panels, due to high strength to weight ratio and energy absorption properties, are widely used in various industries including aerospace industries, marine and automotive industries. This study explored the strength and performance of panels composed of low-density polyurethane foam core sandwiched between two aluminum skins. In this article several aluminum sandwich panels with polyurethane foam core having different thickness were designed and tested using a shock tube facility. Some blast test were performed in order to determine the effects of foam thickness on displacement of back face-sheet and energy absorption of sandwich structures. Also using the compression test results performed on the foam, numerical simulation using Autodyn software were performed. There was a good agreement between experimental investigation and numerical results. Using experimental investigation and parametric studies, it is shown that the amount of displacement of back face-sheet of sandwich structures is decreased and energy absorption is increased as foam and back face-sheet thickness is increased.