On the ballistic perforation resistance of a sandwich structure with aluminium skins and aluminium foam core

Sandwich structures have proven to be excellent energy absorbents and are found in various protective solutions. In this study, an inhomogeneous aluminium foam was used as core material in a sandwich panel with skins of thin aluminium plates. Ballistic impact tests were conducted in a gas gun using spherical projectiles to reveal the ballistic response of the sandwich panel, and the results were compared with data from impact tests on the core material only. Numerical models, calibrated based on material tests and X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (XRMCT) data, of the ballistic impact tests were established in a non-linear finite element solver. The numerical model was found able to reproduce the complex response of the sandwich panel.