Abstract
Development of a lightweight, strong and energy-absorbing material that has potential application for the protection of vehicles and occupants against impact and blast, is a difficult challenge facing the materials community. Aluminium matrix syntactic foams will be investigated as a possible core material as part of a multi-layered protection system for military vehicles. Aluminium matrix syntactic foams are composite materials consisting of an aluminium matrix implanted with hollow or porous ceramic particles. This paper investigates the mechanical properties of aluminium matrix syntactic foam with different sizes of ceramic micro-spheres and different grades of aluminium, fabricated by the pressure infiltration method. The static crushing behaviour of the foam was investigated under two test conditions using an Instron 4505 machine. Results are compared and discussed. The dynamic compressive response was investigated using a drop-weight impact test machine. It was found that the particle size of the ceramic micro-spheres and the grade of the aluminium metal have a significant effect on the energy absorption capacity of the material. The compressive strength of the syntactic foam was found to increase with increasing compressive strength of the metal matrix.
Highlights
The resistance of engineering structures, subjected to blast and impact loads, is of great interest within the engineering community and government agencies
Matrix syntactic foams are composite materials consisting of a matrix implanted with hollow or porous ceramic particles
Matrix syntactic foam is considered as a light material having high energy absorption capacity
Summary
The resistance of engineering structures, subjected to blast and impact loads, is of great interest within the engineering community and government agencies. The characteristics of the base material of the foam, its relative density, type of its cells (open or closed) and the mean cell diameter, all of these must be known (Ashby et al, 1997). As can be seen in the graph, initially it is a linear dependence of elasticity (strain) with stress Such dependency is governed by the strength of cell walls of the base material. Foams have a capability to absorb the kinetic energy by bending, buckling or fracture (plastically) of the cell walls depending on the characteristics of the base material of the foam (Ashby, 1997). The energy absorber capability of the material is measured by the length and height of the flat stress-strain curve. The area under the flat part of the curves is the useful energy per unit volume, Wv that can be absorbed
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