Modelling compressive cyclic stress–strain behaviour of structural foam

Polyurethane foam, similar to that used for protection in automotive interiors has been subjected to continuous compressive cycling. The loading and unloading stress–strain relationships for any given cycle can be fully described by applying Ogdenʹs modified model for compressible rubber. The accumulated dissipated energy that indicates the vibration damping capacity of the material may be expressed in the form of a simple mathematical function. The concept of loading path dissipated energy (LDE) using the Weibull function has been applied to express the manner in which cyclic damage accumulates.