Numerical Modeling of the Compression Process of Elastic Open-cell Foams

The random models of open-cell foams that can reflect the actual cell geometrical properties are constructed with the Voronoi technique. The compression process of elastic open-cell foams is simulated with the nonlinear calculation module of finite element analysis program. In order to get the general results applicable to this kind of materials, the dimensionless compressive stress is used and the stress-strain curves of foam models with different geometrical properties are obtained. Then, the influences of open-cell geometrical properties, including the shape of strut cross section, relative density and cell shape irregularity, on the compressive nonlinear mechanical performance are analyzed. In addition, the numerical results are compared with the predicted results of cubic staggering model. Numerical results indicate that the simulated results reflect the compressive process of foams quite well and the geometrical properties of cell have significant influences on the nonlinear mechanical behavior of foams.