FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF THE COMPRESSIVE BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINUM FOAMS WITH DIFFERENT POROSITY RATIOS

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Gültekin B., Dengiz C. G., Gürbüz M.

Konya mühendislik bilimleri dergisi (Online), cilt.14, sa.3, ss.1490-1506, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

Özet

In this study, the mechanical behavior of pure aluminum foam sheets with different porosityratios (50%, 55%, 60%, and 70%) under compressive load was numerically investigated using the finiteelement method. The yield stress and plateau stress values, which define the energy absorption andimpact resistance capabilities of aluminum foams, were evaluated based on pore morphology. Numericalmodels were created using the Python programming language based on a random circular poredistribution, and simulations were performed using Abaqus/Explicit software. For each porosity ratio,three different pore configurations were generated to analyze the effects of pore placement on themechanical response. The stress-strain curves obtained from the simulations were compared withreference literature studies and found to be in high agreement with a deviation of 4%. The maximumreduction in yield strength relative to non-porous pure aluminum occurred at 90% for 70% porosity. Theminimum reduction in yield strength relative to non-porous pure aluminum was observed as 59% for 50%porosity. The findings show that as the porosity ratio increases, the yield and plateau stress systematicallydecrease, while the plateau region expands during deformation, allowing the foam to absorb more energy.These results highlight the effectiveness of aluminum foams in structural energy-damping applicationsand show that pore morphology plays a critical role in design optimization. In this study, the mechanical behavior of pure aluminum foam sheets with different porosityratios (50%, 55%, 60%, and 70%) under compressive load was numerically investigated using the finiteelement method. The yield stress and plateau stress values, which define the energy absorption andimpact resistance capabilities of aluminum foams, were evaluated based on pore morphology. Numericalmodels were created using the Python programming language based on a random circular poredistribution, and simulations were performed using Abaqus/Explicit software. For each porosity ratio,three different pore configurations were generated to analyze the effects of pore placement on themechanical response. The stress-strain curves obtained from the simulations were compared withreference literature studies and found to be in high agreement with a deviation of 4%. The maximumreduction in yield strength relative to non-porous pure aluminum occurred at 90% for 70% porosity. Theminimum reduction in yield strength relative to non-porous pure aluminum was observed as 59% for 50%porosity. The findings show that as the porosity ratio increases, the yield and plateau stress systematicallydecrease, while the plateau region expands during deformation, allowing the foam to absorb more energy.These results highlight the effectiveness of aluminum foams in structural energy-damping applicationsand show that pore morphology plays a critical role in design optimization.