Mechanical Behavior of Alumina based Reticulated Foams Encapsulated and Infiltrated with Polymer under Quasistatic and Dynamic Conditions

ABSTRACT

Cellular ceramic structures, due to their unique combination of thermal, structural and mechanical properties, are widely explored for the wide range of thermo-structural applications. However, the ceramic based structures have not been well explored for energy absorption properties due to their inherent brittleness. In the present study, alumina based ceramic foams were fabricated by polymeric sponge replication process and further these foams were encapsulated and infiltrated respectively in epoxy resin. All the three foams – bare, encapsulated and infiltrated were evaluated comparatively under quasistatic compression and dynamic impact conditions. The study revealed that the energy absorption properties can be significantly enhanced through encapsulation and infiltration of bare foam with epoxy resin. Extent of enhancement in energy absorption in case of infiltration was superior in comparison to encapsulation in both static and dynamic test conditions. The study demonstrated the possibility of exploring the potential of encapsulated and infiltrated ceramic foams in various shock attenuating applications.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Alumina foams
• Infiltration
• Encapsulation
• Mechanical properties
• Quasistatic compression
• Charpy impact test