Experimental Study of Open-Cell Cellular Structures with Elastic Filler Material

Abstract

Open-cell cellular structures have a high potential for use in automotive, railway, ship and aerospace industry as crash energy absorbers. This paper focuses on the influence of the second phase filler material as a way to further increase the capability of cellular material energy absorption. The behaviour of ductile (aluminium alloy) and brittle (polymer) cellular structures with regular topology with and without the pore filler (silicon rubber) under quasistatic and dynamic compressive loading conditions has been experimentally studied and evaluated. The base material properties of the aluminium alloy and the polymer were obtained with separate experimental testing. The use of second phase filler material resulted in significant changes in cellular material behaviour. It was observed that the pore filler material increases the capability of energy absorption and furthermore improves and stabilises the response of a brittle cellular structures.

On the mechanical anisotropy of the compressive properties of aluminium perlite syntactic foam

“…0.3), additional collapse bands form as more thin struts and cell walls are deformed. A similar mode of plastic deformation was also observed for closed-cell [35,36] and open-cell [37] metallic foams.…”

Mechanical Properties of Advanced Pore Morphology Foam Composites

“…the ratio between diameter change due to deformation (displacement) and the initial diameter of the APM element. The experimental results show characteristic cellular material behaviour, that is, after the initial elastic response onset of yielding which is then manifested in typical stress plateau followed by the final densification [17]. The maximum strain rate of 33/s was achieved during dynamic testing.…”

“…Additional influence on behaviour and energy absorption capabilities of cellular materials with open and closed cell morphology can be attributed to a possible pore filler in the cellular material [16][17][18]. After solidification and cooling down during the manufacturing process of closed-cell cellular materials with gas injection, it can be assumed that the gas is trapped in the base material.…”

“…The influence of the material strain rate sensitivity is of much greater importance. Additionally, the strain rate sensitivity of the cellular material might also be affected by the gas (filler) flow through the structure [17,39]. The strain rate sensitivity effect is more apparent for the higher density foams [39].…”

Experimental Testing of Single APM Spheres

“…Development, design, manufacturing, characterisation and application of conventional cellular structures used in composite materials have been widely studied and reviewed [1][2][3][4]. New fabrication methods have been developed for more convenient and flexible use in different applications to overcome the technological problems related to the control of structure irregularity, also resulting in more homogeneous and regular pore distribution [5][6][7][8].…”