Abstract:This investigation aims to assess the mechanical and energy absorption properties of the light sandwich panel portions made of open-cell polymer and metal/polymer foam cores. These multi-layered sandwich panels were produced by additive manufacturing of polymeric resin and electrodeposition of three layers of metals, Ni/Ni-Cu/Ni, with 4, 5, and 6 pores per inch (PPI). The yield strength, energy absorption density, complementary energy, and specific energy absorption (SEA) were measured during uniaxial compression deformation. The results indicate that compared with pure Ni and Cu sandwich panel portions with the same thickness, the abovementioned properties of the sandwich panels had a noteworthy improvement. Mechanical and energy absorption properties were improved by increasing the PPI and the presence of metallic layers. In a sandwich panel with 6 PPI, the yield strength (energy absorption density) was improved from 0.12 MPa (0.12 MJ/m³) for the polymeric sandwich panel to 1.83 MPa (0.67 MJ/m³) for the metallic sandwich panel. Investigations on normalized energies of these structures show a predictable behavior for these sandwich panels during plastic deformations. The results show that the multi metallic layers improved the mechanical behavior of these novel sandwich panels. Noticeable enhancement of the calculated properties of these advanced materials guarantees their unique application in variable industries.

Key words: sandwich panel; energy absorption; metal foam; Voronoi structures; additive manufacturing; electroforming of metal