Modeling the progressive collapse behavior of metal foams

Abstract Quasi-static axial compression behavior of cellular materials can be explained by two ideal deformation scenarios: homogeneous deformation and progressive collapse. An elastic–plastic–rigid (E–P–R) foam model is used to derive the energy absorbed under these two deformation scenarios. It has been identified that the progressive collapse mode of deformation can absorb more energy than homogeneous deformation prior to full densification. The additional energy is shown to be proportional to the magnitude of the tangent modulus in the plateau region of the stress–strain curve. The model also shows that energy absorption is equivalent for all deformation states of progressive and homogenous collapse for materials that exhibit elastic–perfectly-plastic–rigid behavior.