On the gas pressure forming of aluminium foam sandwich panels: Experiments and numerical simulations

Forming of light-weight highly stiff aluminium foam sandwich (AFS) panels into complex 3D components would mark a development in the manufacturing of these materials. In this work, gas pressure forming of AFS panels is investigated experimentally and using numerical simulations. Deformation behaviour of AFS panels is studied during high-temperature uniaxial tension and compression, and constitutive models are developed and incorporated into FE simulations of the gas pressure forming process. Simulation results and experimental observations show reasonable agreement and demonstrate the possibility of forming AFS panels to significant deformations while maintaining considerable core porosity.