Mechanical models of cellular solids: Parameters identification from experimental tests

Cellular materials have large use in many components acting as impact energy absorbers. These components have to be designed on the basis of the kind of impact, of the involved energy amount and of the maximum admissible load. The choice of the most suitable density for the selected type of foam is based on stress–strain behaviour, obtained by means of experimental tests and/or models. Only a few micro-mechanical models, as the Gibson model, take into account the density effects. These models could result quite complex to manage because of the need of, at least, a rough analysis of the actual foam structure. Conversely, most of the models used for numerical simulations are phenomenological models and have simple parameter identification based on fitting of experimental data, but they do not account for density effect.