Flexural Response of Laminated Steel

Abstract

Steel/polymer/steel laminate sheets, commonly known as laminated steel, received renewed interest recently for their superior noise damping properties in automotive applications. Earlier work in the literature indicates that the tensile properties of the laminated steel follow the prediction of the rule of mixtures. The flexural response of the laminated steel, however, depends on the type of the sandwich configuration. The flexural rigidity of the vibration-damping type of laminated steel is lower than the value calculated using beam theory. The finite element (FE) modeling techniques that might be suitable for a particular type of laminated steel are directly linked to how the flexural rigidity of the laminated steel conforms to the prediction using the beam theory. This paper examines the flexural response of the vibration-damping type of laminated steel through comparison of beam theory predictions with the experimental results for cantilever beam and three-point bending configurations. In addition, tensile and shear tests were conducted. The paper evaluates some FE modeling techniques in LS-DYNA for the analysis of laminated steel under flexural loading. The recommended modeling method was also examined for tensile loading.