Phase transformation and energy dissipation of porous shape memory alloy structure under blast loading

Porous shape memory alloy (SMA) materials being porous structures combined with the behaviors of SMA material can offer tremendous potential for future energy absorbing structural components. Although several studies have been performed in recent past to examine the influence of pores towards phase transformation, they are limited to quasi-static loading conditions. Investigation of phase transformation and associated energy dissipation for porous structural component made of SMA materials is highly necessary for impact/blast loading. Therefore, using explicit finite element method, a predictive modeling framework is developed to solve the governing equations. A forward Euler algorithm is utilized to implement the thermo-mechanical constitutive model of SMA. Several porous SMA structures are idealized with array of macroscopic pores embedded in SMA plates. Parametric studies are performed to investigate the influence of pore sizes and arrangement on phase transformation behaviors and energy dissipation characteristics. The results provide key insights on the role of pores and their interaction in energy dissipation for SMA structures.