Mechanics Modeling of the Compressive Stiffness and Strength of Open-Celled Aluminum Foams

This article presents the results of analytical modeling of the strength and stiffness of open-celled aluminum foams under compressive loading. The analytical models are based on a four-strut structure unit that was extracted from the real open-celled aluminum foam structure. Deformation and strength were first studied in the idealized structure unit bounds. The effects of asymmetric factors were also considered. The models predicted ranges in foam strength and stiffness as functions of relative densities, length ratio, and strut orientation. The predictions from the models were in good agreement with the experimentally measured strengths stiffnesses for open-celled aluminum foams.