Abstract

Metal foams are used in a wide range of applications, such as lightweight materials. As an integral part of a structure, the mechanical characteristics of metal foams and their response to external load need to be well understood. To gain greater insights, we use lab-based dynamic CT (by TESCAN) to visualize the uninterrupted compression of aluminum metal foams. Mechanical simulations of the same samples, carried out with the GeoDict software, are then compared to those results.

The dynamic CT reveals different modes of deformation, like buckling or bending of struts, and collapsing of cells. Moreover, the displacement and deformation of pores are analyzed on the scanned images imported into the software. Two samples from the same foam are tested, analyzed, and simulated. The comparisons show very good agreement in the stress-strain curves and also in the observed geometrical deformations.

Speaker: Dipl.-Math. Sebastian Rief / Math2Market GmbH