On the efficiency of uniform aluminum foam as energy-absorbing sacrificial cladding for structural blast mitigation

Abstract

Aluminum foams are porous and recyclable lightweight materials with outstanding mechanical features, such as their energy absorption capabilities, their most noteworthy property. In view of these qualities, this class of material is a great candidate to use as sacrificial layers applied on structures under threat for blast load protection. Few works studied the coupled behavior between the sacrificial layer made of aluminum foams and the protected structure while commonly neglecting the nonlinearity of the protected structure and impact events caused by the foam. Nevertheless, the efficiency of the foam as an energy absorbent was not adequately addressed in all the existing works. The model suggested in the work is formulated using the shock front theory and validated against experimental results. It is designed to address physical aspects that have remained unaddressed in previous numerical models. Moreover, the model is employed to examine the efficiency of the foam as an energy absorbent, along with a novel methodology proposed in the current work, aiming to carry out adequate testing. Finally, the proposed model is used to evaluate the foam behavior against a wide range of pressure and impulse combinations, leading to unprecedented behavior in the reduction of peak displacements and consequently damage mitigation. The finding of the current study shows a new direction in testing the efficiency of sacrificial layers as energy absorbents.