Impact response of a sandwich with a foam aluminum core enhanced by a ceramic tile: An experimental study

This research proposes using a hybrid core consisting of foam metal and a ceramic tile to enhance the impact resistance of the sandwich construction. We assess the impact response of such an enhanced sandwich under a low-velocity drop-hammer load. Two thicknesses and three positions of the ceramic tile were considered. The low-velocity impact experiment was performed with a 16 mm hemispherical hammerhead and an impact energy range of 30–70 J. The results indicate that the ceramic tile significantly increases the impact resistance of the sandwich. A sandwich with a ceramic tile in the middle of the aluminum foam core had the highest peak force, perforation resistance, and energy absorption. Moreover, the performance was better for the thicker ceramic tiles, and the different damage patterns of the post-mortem sandwiches were analyzed. The underlying mechanisms of enhanced performance are discussed schematically in detail for the sandwiches. These results indeed showed that this proposed sandwich construction could be considered as a potential candidate in high-performance protective component.