Improving the energy absorption of closed cell aluminum foams

Abstract

Closed cell aluminum foams have received much recent attention as energy absorbing materials on account of their ability to undergo extensive deformation at a relatively low stress called the plateau stress. Several studies describe the improvements in energy absorption to be obtained, relative to their empty counterparts, when foam filled tubes are crushed either quasi-statically or dynamically [1–4]. Al foams are also of possible interest for ballistic applications because they present a very large acoustic impedance mismatch with common armor materials, offering the possibility of being able to modify theway in which elasticwaves travel through multi-component armor.