Dynamic crushing and energy absorption of sandwich structures with combined geometry shell cores

• Dynamic crushing and energy absorption characteristics of sandwich structures with combined geometry (hemispherical cap and cylindrical segment) shell cores were investigated.
• Effect of confinement on crushing behavior was shown by conducting confined experiments at quasi-static and dynamic rates.
• Numerical model was developed in order to investigate inertia, strain rate sensitivity and effects of multilayering.
• Increase in impact velocity caused increase in inertial effects.
• Strain rate effects were nearly independent from impact velocity.

Dynamic crushing and energy absorption characteristics of sandwich structures with combined geometry shell cores were investigated experimentally and numerically. The effect of strain rate on the crushing behavior was presented by the crushing tests at quasi-static, intermediate and high strain rate regimes. It was shown that absorbed energy increased with increasing impact velocity. The effect of confinement on crushing behavior was shown by conducting confined experiments at quasi-static and dynamic rates. Higher buckling loads at lower deformation were observed in confined quasi-static crushing due to additional lateral support and friction provided by confinement wall. By using fictitious numerical models with strain rate insensitive material models, the effect of inertia and strain rate on crushing were shown. It was observed that, increase in impact velocity caused increase in inertial effects and strain rate effects were nearly independent from the impact velocity. The effects of multilayering were also investigated numerically.