Low-velocity impact of rectangular multilayer sandwich plates

The aim of the work is to investigate the low-velocity impact of fully clamped rectangular multilayer sandwich plates with metal foam cores struck transversely by a heavy mass. Analytical models considering interaction of bending and stretching induced by large deflections are developed for the dynamic response of multilayer sandwich plates. Numerical calculations of multilayer sandwich plates under low-velocity impact are conducted and analytical models can capture the numerical results reasonably. The cases of three typical impact locations are considered. Effects of loading location, the multilayer factor and shape of the striker on the structural response are discussed. It is demonstrated that the present analytical model can reasonably predict the low-velocity post-yield behavior of rectangular multilayer sandwich plates with metal foam core struck by a heavy mass.