Numerical Simulation Analysis on Surface Quality of Aluminum Foam Sandwich Panel in Plastic Forming

The surface quality of an aluminum foam sandwich panel (AFSP) is very important for its appearance and application. This paper mainly studies the surface quality of AFSP after plastic forming. Combined with three-dimensional (3D) scanning technology, the normal deviation between the experimental AFSP and the target surface was obtained, and the surface quality parameters Sq, Sz and dmax were calculated to evaluate surface quality. The AFSP models with cubic-spherical (CS) and tetrakaidecahedral (TKD) as foam structures were established respectively. A series of numerical simulations of multi-point forming (MPF) were then carried out. Equivalent strain and deformation characteristics of spherical and saddle-shaped AFSP were discussed. The main surface defects produced by AFSP in plastic forming, such as surface wrinkle, the local straight face effect and surface dimpling were analyzed. Finally, MPF experiments were carried out, and it was found that the numerical simulation results were significantly corresponded to the experimental AFSP in terms of the degree and distribution of normal deviation and surface quality evaluation parameters. The TKD model was more consistent with the experimental results than the CS model. Moreover, the results show that the surface quality can be improved by thicker face sheets and smaller core cell sizes.