Product Overview:
In this tutorial, we explore the simulation of three-point bending of a steel beam with an aluminum foam core using Abaqus. The steel box beam is modeled as a three-dimensional shell part, while the aluminum foam is represented as a three-dimensional solid part. A shell rigid body is created to serve as a force body and boundary zone.

Metal foam structures are recognized for their impact-absorbing properties, making them valuable as passive safety systems in transportation. These materials have significant potential to reduce fatalities and injuries, which in turn addresses the economic costs and social impacts associated with such incidents. From an environmental perspective, using advanced composite materials can enhance energy efficiency. The ability of a well-designed lightweight protection system to absorb impact energy directly relates to thermal efficiency and engine consumption, ultimately leading to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

For the steel box beam, we employ an elastic-plastic material model with a ductile damage criterion to predict damage initiation under bending. The aluminum foam is modeled as an elastic material with crushable foam plasticity, as provided in Abaqus CAE. A general static step is employed for this type of analysis. The surface-to-surface contact algorithm with contact properties is used to model interactions between the rigid bodies and the steel box, with perfect contact assumed between the surfaces of the steel box and aluminum foam. Fixed boundary conditions are applied to the two bottom rigid bodies, while displacement is applied to the top rigid body. A fine mesh is essential to obtain accurate results.

Upon completion of the simulation, a variety of results—including stress, strain, ductile damage, and force-displacement diagrams—become accessible.