Design of hybrid sandwich panel with aluminum foam core and carbon fiber reinforced plastic face sheets under three-point bending

Aluminum foams are very popular material for structural applications because of its attractive combination of properties. Structural performance of those foams can be enhanced by bonding them between strong and stiff face sheets such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The response of hybrid sandwich panels comprising aluminum foam core and CFRP face sheets were investigated under three-point bending and measured response is verified with finite element numerical simulations. Core indentation and core shear, failure modes are identified. Experimentally measured elastic stiffness and failure load of thee tested beams were found to be in good agreement with the numerical simulation and analytical predictions.