Structure and Compression Behavior of Macro-composite Starch Foams

Abstract

Using a method known as regular packing and stacking (RPS) technology, starch foams made by extrusion foaming of wheat flour can be converted by self-adhesion to produce bulk foams of any required sizes for much more broad applications. These block foams are reinforced by a network of the bonding interfaces and hence can be regarded as macrocomposites. The influence of the reinforcing interfaces on compression behavior of the RPS blocks was investigated by mechanical testing of foams with different geometry of the interface network and interface thickness. It is demonstrated that the interface network of the block foams can be designed to manipulate the macrostructure and compression behavior of the foam for protective packaging.