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2006
Journal Article
Titel
Analysis of two- and three-dimensional hyperelastic model foams under complex loading conditions
Abstract
Subject of the present analysis is the numerical analysis of hyperelastic two- and three-dimensional model foams at large strains. The macroscopic stress-strain relationships are determined by means of a strain energy based homogenization procedure from the behavior of the cellular structure on the mesoscopic level. The proposed homogenization procedure is based on the assumption that a representative volume element with the cellular microstructure and a volume element containing the homogeneous effective medium are macroscopically equivalent if both volume elements hold the same amount of strain energy. As a first and simplifying approach, spatially periodic 2-D and 3-D lattices are adopted for representing open-cell foams. The 2-D approximation is the commonly used honeycomb microstructure, whereas its 3-D counterpart is a regular lattice with tetrakaidecahedral cells. Subsequently, the effective material response of these models is compared under uniaxial and multi-axial loading cases. On the macro scale, it is observed that the 2-D model foam covers most of the basic features of the three-dimensional cellular structure. Also on the meso scale, the same principal deformation mechanisms like cell wall bending and stretching are observed. However, the effect of different modelling dimensions of a solid foam should be taken into account if quantitative predictions are required.