Finite element analysis of indentation of aluminium foam and sandwich panels with aluminium foam core

This paper presents modelling techniques for achieving convergent and accurate solutions in simulating quasi-static indentation of closed-cell aluminium foams and sandwich panels with aluminium foam core using the commercial finite-element software ABAQUS/Standard. Various indenters are utilised: hemispherical indenters of 10, 15 and 20 mm diameter, a 16-mm cylindrical flat punch, and a long flat punch. The material parameters are established by comparison with the previous experimental results in uniaxial compression. Experimentally-observed tearing of the cell walls is accounted for in the simulations by introducing element failure and deletion criteria. Stress and strain analysis of the results reveals that foam failure occurs where cell tearing takes place. This occurs at critical tear energy and shear strength, independent of indenter size. The resulting load–displacement curves correlate closely with experimental results. The quasi-static indentation of sandwich panels of aluminium foam cladded with aluminium skins is also simulated for hemispherical indenters of diameter 5–20 mm. Cell tearing does not occur until the point of failure and thus, is not accounted for in the simulations. The effect of the skin strength on the stiffness, strength and energy absorption of the panels is elucidated. A particular emphasis is placed on the material formulation for the foam core which would ensure convergence and reliable predictions.