Mechanical properties and forming behaviour of laminated steel/polymer sandwich systems with local inlays - Part 1

The results revealed an adequate agreement between the measured mechanical properties of SMs and the estimated values following the rule of mixtures. Up to a core volume fraction of approx. 0.37, the specific stiffness and strength values of the SMs are only slightly reduced compared to the monolithic steel material. The deformation analysis shows a significant influence of the inserted REs on the strain distribution and failure and consequently the position of cracking, occurring at the bottom/edge region in front of the RE.