Geometrical and mechanical analysis of various types of cellular metals

Abstract

The paper gives a short overview of geometrical characterization, experimental testing, computational modelling and finite element analysis of various cellular metals: Advanced Pore Morphology (APM) foam, open-cell aluminum foam, Metallic Hollow Sphere Structure (MHSS) and cellular metals with uni-directional pores (UniPore). The geometrical analysis and characterization is based on the analysis of micro computed tomography scans and proper recognition of their internal cellular structure, taking into account statistical distribution of morphological and topological properties. The results of conducted geometrical analysis provided means to develop methodology for proper 2D and 3D geometrical modelling of irregular cellular structures and consequent formation of computational models. These were used to study the compressive and bending behavior of analyzed cellular structures by means of quasi-static and dynamic nonlinear computational simulations (using engineering codes ABAQUS and LS-DYNA), validated by experimental tests.