Comparison of hyperelastic 2-D and 3-D model foams at large deformations

The influence of the modeling dimension on the determination of effective properties for hyperelastic foams is investigated by means of regular 2-D and 3-D model foams. For calculating the effective stress-strain relationships of both micro structures, a strain energy based homogenization procedure is employed. The results from numerical analyses show that with a 2-D model foam the basic deformation mechanisms of the 3-D model can be captured. Nevertheless, due to the distinct quantitative deviations found from the homogenization analyses, 3-D modeling approaches should be used if quantitative predictions for the effective material properties are required.