On the FE Modeling of Closed-cell Aluminum Foam

Abstract

This investigation is concerned with the development of a multi-unit-cell which enables the modeling of the mechanical response of metallic foams subject to oblique loadings. The geometry of the cell was derived from careful observation of the foam morphology. The new closed unit cell is formed by the use of ellipsoids which are interconnected through a truncated pyramid. In this approach, we represent the morphology of closed-cell aluminum foams through the use of corresponding average uniform geometrical and mechanical properties. Extensive multi-unit-cell finite element analyses were conducted to examine the effect of key geometric parameters on the collapse load, normalized crush force versus deformation characteristics as well as the corresponding energy absorption. The numerical simulations were compared with crush test experiments involving different oblique loads. In spite of showing an initial stiff response, which is typical in idealized numerical models, the results revealed that the developed multi-unit-cell is able to simulate the crush behavior of closed-cell foams.