Compressive properties of open cell aluminum foams

The uniaxial compressive test results of several aluminum foams are compared with aluminum alloy and ppi (pore per inch) of open cell foam. The compressive stress-strain curve of aluminum alloy foams exhibits universal three deformation regions: an initial linear elastic response, and then extended plateau region with a nearly constant flow stress, a final densification as collapsed cells are compacted together. The lower the foam densities are, the longer the plateau region is, but lower densities also imply lower yield stress.