Numerical simulation for three-point bending failure of aluminum foam sandwich panels with cohesive interface

The deformation characteristics on three-point bending of aluminum foam sandwich panels were investigated by the experimental observation and numerical simulation. The 3-D finite element (FE) model for aluminum foam sandwich panels was developed by FE software ABAQUS. The bonding layer was descried by the cohesive zone model. The interfacial debonding between the face sheet and the core of aluminum foam, a typical failure mode of bonding aluminum foam sandwich panels under three-point bending, was simulated reasonably. The numerical results show a good agreement between the load-displacement responses and the failure mode observed in experiments. Furthermore, the influence of the thickness of face sheet and the core of aluminium foam on bearing force and energy absorption capacity was analyzed. The results show that an increased core thickness of aluminum foam can provide higher bearing force and energy absorption capacity of aluminum foam sandwich panels.