Inductive quantification of energy absorption of high-density polyethylene foam for repeated blunt impact

Foams are used in a variety of impact energy absorption applications because of their ability to engage in large deformations under steady load transfer during the cell collapse. Quantification of the energy absorption capabilities of foams, including those resulting from repeated loading and unloading, is critical to both modeling and prototype development of systems utilizing these important materials. This paper details a novel process of characterizing a cross-linked high-density polyethylene foam for its applicability within helmet liners designed for low-velocity blunt impact. The foams are characterized using various forms of compression testing and physical measurements. The analyses include examination of the tangent modulus, strain hardness, energy absorption ideality, and energy absorption efficiency. Together, these analyses identify the regions of changing behavior of the nonlinear impact absorption material system. A case study for the materials is presented, which reveals that the examined high-density polyethylene foam exhibits some of the most efficient impact properties during the first impact. However, this case study also identifies that those impact properties can reduce significantly, e.g. a 55% increase in stress in the case of a 0.50 strain-level deformation in the first impact, for a subsequent impact after only a 120 s rest period. The novel combination of testing and analysis presented within this paper enables the developer of a foam energy absorption system to advance their interrogation of foams for repeated large strain deformations and temperature variations.