Mechanical Characterization and FEM Modeling of Hybrid Metal Foam/Bio-Composite Samples

This study investigates the mechanical properties of a hybrid metal foam/biocomposite component useful for industrial applications like, e.g., security systems in the automotive field. Cylindrical samples were fabricated by manually wrapping fabrics of hemp fibers, impregnated with epoxy resin, around aluminum foam cylinders. Successively, the mechanical properties of the hybrid structures and of the single constituents (foam cylinders and bio-composite tubes) were determined by means of quasi-static compression and bending tests. The experimental campaign highlights that the hybrid samples show a very significant improvement of the properties, compared to the sum of the single constituents, due to the synergistic interaction between the core and the skin. Finally, a FEM model of the samples was validated by means of a numerical/experimental comparison of the results of the mechanical tests.