Experimental and numerical study of rigid polyurethane foams for mechanical characteristics using finite element analysis

Abstract

Over the past three decades, the global market has attracted polyurethane (PU) foams. It has been estimated that three-quarters of global consumption of polyurethane products are mainly foams. Based on hardness and density, foams can be classified into flexible and rigid. Features like flexibility, durability, stiffness, lightweight, less cost, and low density make foams more suitable for a wide range of automotive, industrial and agricultural industries. In this aspect, rigid foams are largely used as base materials for insulating purposes, seals, gaskets, tires, bedding, and seating of trucks. Generally, these PU foams are synthesized by mixing two chemicals: polyol and isocyanates. But unfortunately, the utilisation of Petro-based polyols makes PU foam restricted due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels. Hence, this study attempts to replace Petro-based polyols with castor oil-based polyols. Other mechanical properties, such as compression strength, were tested to evaluate its ductile and flow behaviour. Finally, the developed Kelvin foam models were used for Finite Elemental Analysis (FEM) using ANSYS software to validate experimental results. Based on the results shows that both experimental and numerical analysis of castor oil PU foams resulted in greater compressive strength when compared to Petro-based PU foams.