Projectile Impact Testing Aluminum Corrugated Core Composite Sandwiches Using Aluminum Corrugated Projectiles: Experimental and Numerical Investigation

E-glass/polyester composite plates and 1050 H14 aluminum trapezoidal corrugated core composite sandwich plates were projectile impact tested using 1050 H14 aluminum trapezoidal fin corrugated projectiles with and without face sheets. The projectile impact tests were simulated in LS-DYNA. The MAT_162 material model parameters of the composite were determined and then optimized by the quasi-static and high strain rate tests. Non-centered projectile impact test models were validated by the experimental and numerical back face displacements of the impacted plates. Then, the centered projectile impact test models were developed and the resultant plate displacements were compared with those of the TNT mass equal Conwep simulations. The projectiles with face sheets induced similar displacement with the Conwep blast simulation, while the projectiles without face sheets underestimated the Conwep displacements, which was attributed to more uniform pressure distribution with the use of the face sheets on the test plates.