Cyclic compression behaviour of multilayered nanostructured foams: Numerical meso scale modelling and experimental validation

Abstract

In the present paper the mechanical fatigue behavior of a complex porous and hierarchical structure at a macroscopic scale is investigated from the experimental point of view. A numerical model describing the cyclic behavior is developed considering the geometric structure of the foam and the constitutive model, using a macro-mechanical hyperelastic material Ogden models. The coated open cell foam is characterized by Representative Volume Element of Finite Elements (FEA-RVE) model at the mesoscale with periodic boundary conditions. The RVE model is based on the microscopic foam topology and density, then a tessellation is applied to randomly generate the inner structure. The FEA model is then inserted, and the overall response is validated and calibrated from quasi-static and fatigue compression tests run at two different frequencies. The mesoscale model is used to simulate the mechanism involved in the compression of PU hierarchical composite foams, the structure buckling and the dissipated energy.