Modelling of the behaviour of metal foams under shock compression

Abstract

A theoretical modelling is proposed to describe the shock response of foam materials. This model is based on micromechanical and energetic arguments, and takes into account the contribution of microscale inertia. Within this framework, an analytical expression of the Hugoniot stress-strain curve is proposed for elastic-plastic cellular materials. The predictions derived from the proposed model are in excellent agreement with experimental data for open-cell aluminium foams. The case of viscoplastic foams is also considered.