A Deformation Model for Monotropic Plastic Foams under Compression/Tension Perpendicularly to the Foam Rise Direction

The deformation properties of monotropic plastic foams under uniaxial compression or tension perpendicularly to the foam rise direction are considered. Theoretical results are obtained for the case where the volume- deformation hypothesis is assumed. In order to perform numerical calculations, the foams are devided into three groups with different degrees of monotropy. For these groups, different methods of calculating the numerical value of the relative volume strain are used. The Youngʹs modulus in the plane of isotropy is determined using both the mixed Reuss-Voigt and Voigt averaging. The Poisson ratios are expressed using the Reuss averaging. If only the axial deformation of the load-bearing elements (polymer struts) is allowed for, the results obtained do not agree with experimental data. Therefore, we also take into account the changes in their orientation. The values of Youngʹs modulus and Poisson ratios are obtained for a wide range of degrees of extension of the model cell. A comparison of the theoretical results with the experimental data available shows a satisfactory agreement.