An Experimental–Numerical Analysis of Innovative Aluminum Foam-Based Sandwich Constructions Under Compression Loads

Recent studies have highlighted the effectiveness of using closed-cells aluminum foams as core of sandwich constructions, making them attractive for industrial applications. In previous studies, the authors proved the possibility of developing innovative sandwiches by using aluminum foams as core and stainless-steel grid as reinforcing skin, through a one-single foaming step and without using any molds. In line with this topic, the present work investigates the possibility of improving the compression strength of these constructions by integrating the same grid, used as skin, inside the core as corrugated skeleton. For this purpose, sandwiches with different geometries were manufactured and characterized mechanically. An original numerical FEM model was developed in support of the experimental campaign to thoroughly investigate the foam/grid interaction, as well as the failure mechanisms, in order to study the effects of the skeleton shape on the compression behavior of the sandwiches.