Using finite element method to analyze the effect of microstructure on energy absorption properties of open cell polymeric foams

Abstract

A lot of structural applications benefit from polymer foams and their capabilities of absorbing and dissipating energy. These kinds of materials enjoy very light weights and magnificent capacity for energy absorption. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) is developed to analyze the behavior of polymer foams. The model is idealized to a level that the microstructure is represented by a regular Kelvin cell. The standard structural software, Abaqus, is used for the finite element analysis. Further on, the numerical model is also validated using the Gibson Model and the experimental results as well. The present work is most importantly aimed at understanding the influence of the cavity size and the density on stress–strain behavior of polypropylene (PP) open cell foam, demonstrated by the absorbed energy by the unit volume (the area under the stress–strain curve) of this material. The optimum foam for each particular application is selected using an energy absorption diagram.

Keywords

polymer foam Kelvin energy absorption diagram stress–strain curve finite element method

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