Author(s)

P. Viot & F. Beani

Abstract

Polypropylene foams are widely used in many impact-absorbing applications. To improve their mechanical performances, these structures have to be modelled. This approach requires the characterisation of the foam behavior at high strain rate in order to identify parameters of rheological models commonly implemented in FE code. Tests were achieved on polypropylene foams under high strain rate compression loading. The material behavior has been determined as a function of two parameters, density and strain rate. Foams (at several densities) were tested on two specific machines. First, an electromechanical testing machine has been used which enables to apply an uniaxial compression for initial strain rates up to 0.33 s-1. These results were completed by those obtained on a new device installed on a flywheel. This device was designed in order to achieve stopped co

Keywords