Strain rate sensitivity of a closed-cell aluminum foam

An experimental investigation into the strain rate sensitivity of a closed-cell aluminum foam at room temperature and under compression loading is conducted. The nominal strain rates are varied by four orders of magnitude, from 3.33 x 10(-5) to 1.6 x 10(-1) s(-1). Within this range, experimental results show that the plastic strength and the energy absorbed increase (by 31 and 52.5%, respectively) with increasing strain rate. However, the plastic strength was found to increase bilinearly with the logarithm of strain rate, whereas dense metals tend to show only a linear response. As is the case with dense metals, the strain rate sensitivity of the foam was not a constant value, but found to be dependent on the strain and incremental change in strain rate. These results are explained with the aid of suitable micromechanical models such as microinertial effects against the bucking of cell walls at high strain rates that are unique to foams. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.