A novel approach to manufacturing and experimental investigation of closed-cell Al foams

This investigation proposes a modified technique for manufacturing closed-cell aluminum foams to reduce the cost of production of foaming agents during the casting and foaming process. The addition of foaming agents promotes the uniformity of cell sizes and controls the viscosity of the melting aluminum alloy. Moreover, this work elucidates the mechanical characteristics of closed-cell aluminum foams under compressive loading. Discussions cover the compressive stress-strain curve, densification strain and energy absorption effects of various specimens with various porosities. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the aluminum foams is determined, and the results compared with some theoretical predictions. The optimum parameters for meeting some tendentious and practical design requirements, such as those of impact absorption and thermal insulation design applications, are discussed. Finally, an empirical correlation between normalized yield strength and relative densities is obtained .     

闭孔泡沫铝力学特性及其在汽车碰撞吸能中的应用研究进展

汽车低能耗、安全和轻量化已经成为汽车领域研究的热点问题,闭孔泡沫铝作为一种轻质吸能金属材料,在低密度下具有良好的比刚度和比强度,同时具有良好的抗冲击性和能量吸收性,已逐渐引起汽车产业界地重视。简述泡沫铝单轴压缩试验中弹性模量、抗压强度、屈服强度、平台应力、致密化应变等参数的定义和试验标准;综述闭孔泡沫铝的本构方程的研究现状,重点讨论屈服面模型;总结泡沫铝的微观结构有限元建模方法,比较商业软件中集成的宏观材料模型。归纳吸能材料的特点,分析闭孔泡沫铝的吸能能力和抗冲击能力;综述应变率和冲击速度对泡沫铝吸能特性有无影响的研究进展,并对可能存在的影响进行解释。总结闭孔泡沫铝在汽车轻量化和碰撞安全性领域的应用,具体分析典型的案例。指出当前闭孔泡沫铝的力学特性及其在汽车结构中应用存在的问题与难点,总结并提出本研究领域可以借鉴的研究方向。     

粉煤灰漂珠/聚氨酯复合泡沫铝材料压缩性能与本构关系研究

采用压力渗透法制备出了铝基复合泡沫材料,填充材料是以粉煤灰漂珠为主要组分、硬质聚氨酯泡沫为粘结剂的复合泡沫材料.通过准静态实验和分离式霍普金森压杆(Split Hopkinson pressure bar,SHPB)动态压缩的方法研究了复合泡沫铝的压缩力学响应,然后建立了动态本构关系.研究表明,复合泡沫铝的压缩应力-应变曲线与其它泡沫材料的应力-应变曲线类似,文中的两种铝基复合泡沫具有应变率效应,复合泡沫铝较密度相近未填充前的泡沫铝基具有更高的压缩强度与能量吸收能力.但由于漂珠尺寸的不同,导致两种复合泡沫铝的动态压缩结果不尽相同,且小颗粒复合泡沫铝在动态冲击下吸能效果最好.在本研究实验的应变率和密度范围内,本文建立的本构模型曲线与实验曲线吻合较好.     

粉煤灰漂珠/聚氨酯复合泡沫铝材料压缩性能与本构关系研究

采用压力渗透法制备出了铝基复合泡沫材料,填充材料是以粉煤灰漂珠为主要组分、硬质聚氨酯泡沫为粘结剂的复合泡沫材料.通过准静态实验和分离式霍普金森压杆(Split Hopkinson pressure bar,SHPB)动态压缩的方法研究了复合泡沫铝的压缩力学响应,然后建立了动态本构关系.研究表明,复合泡沫铝的压缩应力-应变曲线与其它泡沫材料的应力-应变曲线类似,文中的两种铝基复合泡沫具有应变率效应,复合泡沫铝较密度相近未填充前的泡沫铝基具有更高的压缩强度与能量吸收能力.但由于漂珠尺寸的不同,导致两种复合泡沫铝的动态压缩结果不尽相同,且小颗粒复合泡沫铝在动态冲击下吸能效果最好.在本研究实验的应变率和密度范围内,本文建立的本构模型曲线与实验曲线吻合较好.     

泡沫铝结构对其拉伸力学性能的影响

研究了开孔与闭孔两种胞孔结构的泡沫铝在不同相对密度下的准静态拉伸力学性能,并与单向压缩性能进行了对比.结果表明：开孔和闭孔泡沫铝的拉伸曲线由线弹性变形段和塑性变形段组成,线弹性变形段很短,塑性屈服中没有出现明显的屈服点;高密度的开孔泡沫铝的杨氏模量、抗拉强度较低密度的闭孔泡沫铝要大;随着相对密度的增大,两种结构泡沫铝的力学性能均明显增强,符合Gibson和Ashby关系式,泡沫铝在准静态下的抗拉强度比抗压强度略低,而拉伸杨氏模量比压缩杨氏模量大得多.     

碳化硅增强泡沫铝层合圆管的制备及力学性能研究

用熔体发泡法制备了碳化硅颗粒增强泡沫铝样品，分析了碳化硅增强泡沫铝在准静态压缩条件下的变形行为。用不锈钢圆管为面板，碳化硅颗粒增强泡沫铝为夹芯制备层合圆管，研究了层合圆管在准静态压缩条件下的变形行为和能量吸收性能。研究表明：碳化硅颗粒增强泡沫铝的屈服强度在5～12MPa之间，对泡沫铝材料的力学性能有明显的增强作用；层合圆管在保持泡沫铝轻质、高吸能效率的同时，大幅度提高了吸能能力；碳化硅增强泡沫铝层合圆管的压缩屈服应力达到45MPa，平台应力达到40MPa，具有优良的吸能性能。     

闭孔泡沫纯铝的导热性能

采用隔热测试仪研究了闭孔泡沫纯铝的孔隙率和孔径对其导热性能(导热系数)的影响.结果表明:闭孔泡沫纯铝的导热性能受传导、对流、辐射三者的综合影响;孔隙率为83.2%～91.0%的闭孔泡沫纯铝的导热系数随孔隙率的增大而减小,而孔径对导热系数的影响没有一定规律;在孔隙率为83.2%～91.0%、孔径为2.5～5.3 mm时,闭孔泡沫纯铝的导热系数在常温下为0.297～0.752 W/(m·K).     

Thermal characteristics of graphite foam thermosyphon for electronics cooling

Graphite foams consist of a network of interconnected graphite ligaments and are beginning to be applied to thermal management of electronics. The thermal conductivity of the bulk graphite foam is similar to aluminum, but graphite foam has one-fifth the density of aluminum. This combination of high thermal conductivity and low density results in a specific thermal conductivity about five times higher than that of aluminum, allowing heat to rapidly propagate into the foam. This heat is spread out over the very large surface area within the foam, enabling large amounts of energy to be transferred with relatively low temperature difference. For the purpose of graphite foam thermosyphon design in electronics cooling, various effects such as graphite foam geometry, sub-cooling, working fluid effect, and liquid level were investigated in this study. The best thermal performance was achieved with the large graphite foam, working fluid with the lowest boiling point, a liquid level with the exact height of the graphite foam, and at the lowest sub-cooling temperature.     

Influence of cell wall thickness variations on elastic stiffness of closed-cell cellular solids

The stiffness of closed-cell low-density cellular solids, or solid foams, is affected by “imperfections” such as non-uniform cell shape and size, wavy distortions of cell walls, variations in cell wall thickness, etc. The present paper focuses on the influence of non-uniform cell wall thickness on stiffness. Calculations are performed on one model with different degrees of thickness variations. The model used is the flat-faced Kelvin structure, which consists of 14-sided polyhedra in a bcc arrangement. The results indicate that the stiffness of closed-cell cellular solids is not very sensitive to thickness variations.     

焊接动态热应变云纹测试技术的研究——铝合金移动热源焊接热应变规律的特点分析

本文采用高温热应变云纹测试技术进行了铝合金移动热源加热平板中心熔敷焊接热应变过程的研究,通过试验获得了铝合金焊接动态热应变云纹图象的照片,用专用的焊接云纹条纹图象数据处理方法对条纹进行处理,获得了铝合金焊接动态热应变规律并分析了其特点。该试验研究结果为进一步定量地考虑焊接过程中各种力学现象（如焊接热裂纹、热应变脆化等）打下了基础,为建立材料焊接热应变数据库提供了可靠的技术数据。     

Effective mechanical behavior of hyperelastic honeycombs and two-dimensional model foams at finite strain

The aim of the present study is the analytical and numerical determination of the effective stress–strain behavior of solid foams made from hyperelastic materials in the finite strain regime. For the homogenization of the microstructure, a strain energy-based concept is proposed which assumes macroscopic mechanical equivalence of a representative volume element for the given microstructure with a similar homogeneous volume element if the strain energy of both volume elements is equivalent, provided that the volume average of the deformation gradient is equal for both volume elements. The concept is applied to an analysis of hyperelastic solid foams using a two-dimensional model. The effective stress–strain behavior is analyzed under uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions in the tensile and in the compressive range as well as under simple shear deformation. It is observed that the effective mechanical behavior of cellular solids at infinitesimal and finite deformation is essentially different on both, the quantitative and the qualitative level.     

A constitutive model for polyurethane foam with strain rate sensitivity

The present work investigates the strain rate dependent behavior of polyurethane foams and formulates a new constitutive model in order to improve the fit of the experimental data at various strain rates. The model has seven parameters that are decided by quasi-static compression tests at two strain rates. Two models for low and high density polyurethane foams are shown to give stress strain relation at various strain rates. Dynamic compression tests were carried out to give stress strain data at high strain rate and the results are compared with those of the constitutive model.     

Yield and buckling behavior of Kelvin open-cell foams subjected to uniaxial compression

This study analyzes the yield and buckling behavior of Kelvin open-cell foams subjected to uniaxial compression. A homogenization theory of the updated Lagrangian type is applied to cubic unit cells and cell aggregates in the Kelvin foam model. Macroscopic instability and microscopic bifurcation are thus incrementally examined under uniaxial compression. The analysis is performed by taking into account the non-uniformity of strut cross-sectional areas and the strain hardening-softening behavior of struts that were observed in experiments on open-cell 6101-T6 aluminum alloy foams. It is shown that macroscopic instability primarily occurs as a consequence of the strain hardening-softening behavior of struts. It is further shown that the macroscopic instability stress obtained has (3/2)th power dependence on relative density as predicted in the Gibson-Ashby relation.     

Study of Al-alloy foam compressive behavior based on instrumented sharp indentation technology

The stress-strain relation of aluminum (Al) alloy foam cell wall was evaluated by the instrumented sharp indentation method. The indentation in a few micron ranges was performed on the cell wall of Al-alloy foam having a composition of Al-3wt.%Si-2wt.%Cu-2wt.%Mg as well as its precursor (material prior to foaming). To extract the stress-strain relation in terms of yield stressσ _y, strain hardening exponentn and elastic modulusE, the closed-form dimensionless relationships between load-indentation depth curve and elasto-plastic property were used. The tensile properties of precursor material of Al-alloy foam were also measured independently by uni-axial tensile test. In order to verify the validity of the extracted stress-strain relation, it was compared with the results of tensile test and finite element (FE) analysis. A modified cubicspherical lattice model was proposed to analyze the compressive behavior of the Al-alloy foam. The material parameters extracted by the instrumented nanoindentation method allowed the model to predict the compressive behavior of the Al-alloy foam accurately.     

Failure modes during uniaxial deformation of magnesium alloy AZ31B tubes

This study examines magnesium alloy AZ31B circular tubing subject to uniaxial compressive loading and compares their performance to steel (ASTM A106 Grade B) and aluminium alloy AA6061T6 circular tubing at both low and high strain rates. Quasi-static tests were undertaken using a hydraulic testing machine for a range of tube lengths and thicknesses for tubes with an outside diameter of approximately 48 mm. To examine the effects of higher strain rate, a drop test rig was used. It was found that magnesium alloy AZ31B outperforms both the steel and aluminium alloys in terms of energy absorption for equivalent mass when subject to uniaxial compressive loads for the thicker sections. This is further enhanced by alloy AZ31B’s strain rate sensitivity, as there is a dramatic increase in the energy absorption at higher strain rates. However, the AZ31B tubes usually fail by fracturing, which generally involves a shear fracture mode, unlike the aluminium and steel tubes, which generally retained their structural integrity to a higher degree. The greatest energy absorption was obtained when the AZ31B failed via fine sharding. This failure mode appeared to be related to the presence of micro-cracks on the surface of the section obtained by overheating during extrusion. At higher strain rates, much greater plasticity and compaction are present in the fracture modes for the thicker AZ31B tubing. Some of the fracture modes have been discussed and the failure/fracture modes are compared with a typical aluminium alloy tube failure mode classification chart.     

A new hardening rule for metallic foam plasticity

Metallic foams are a class of porous materials widely used in the industry because of their advantages. In recent years, extensive studies on the behavior of these materials have been conducted. Several constitutive equations have also been presented and applied. This study proposes a new constitutive equation that predicts metallic foam behavior using the stress–strain curve in uniaxial compression. The proposed model offers a new functionality for work hardening and is evaluated for both isotropic and combined hardening. The constitutive equations are implemented in MATLAB and integrated using return mapping algorithm. The material parameters are identified using genetic algorithm and through a comparison of the experimental and numerical results. The aluminum foams discussed in this paper are the commercially available types, Foaminal and Alporas. The comparison of numerical and experimental results indicate that this new constitutive equation predicts foam behavior in a reasonable manner. Moreover, a good agreement is observed between the experimental and computational curves.     

用铝粉作增粘剂制备泡沫铝

采用熔体发泡法制备了孔结构均匀、孔隙率高的泡沫铝材料,系统研究了铝粉(增粘剂)含量、增粘搅拌时间、保温时间和发泡剂的含量对孔隙率和孔结构的影响。对铝粉在铝熔体中的增粘机理以及在发泡过程中对气泡的稳定作用进行了讨论。结果表明:加入质量分数5％铝粉,搅拌时间7 min,发泡剂TiH2质量分数1．5％,保温5 min的条件下,可以得到孔结构均匀、孔隙率约75％的泡沫铝硅合金材料。     

Optimization of functionally graded foam-filled conical tubes under axial impact loading

Metallic foams as a filler in thin-walled structures can improve their crashworthiness characteristics. In this article, nonlinear parametric finite element simulations of FGF foam-filled conical tube are developed and the effect of various design parameters such as density grading, number of grading layers and the total mass of FGF tube on resulting mode shapes, specific energy absorption and initial peak load is investigated. Multi design optimization (MDO) technique and the geometrical average method, both are based on FE model are applied to maximize the specific energy absorption and minimize the impact peak force by estimating the best wall thickness and gradient exponential parameter “m” that controls the variation of foam density. The results obtained from the optimizations indicated that functionally graded foam material, with graded density, is a suitable candidate for enhancing the crashworthiness characteristics of the structure compared to uniform density foam.