Constitutive Modeling and Material Characterization of Polymeric Foams

Abstract

In this study, mechanical properties of three types of polymeric foams (polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyurethane (PU) foams) are investigated. Focus has been placed on the strain rate and temperature effects on these foams under large deformations. Selected experimental results from uniaxial compression, hydrostatic compression, and simple shear tests are presented. A phenomenological hydrodynamic elastoplastic constitutive law is developed to model these polymeric foams. Numerical implementation and validation of the constitutive model are also described.