Computational analysis as a tool for the study of the porosity system and the mechanical properties of fractal metal foams

This work studies possible morphologies present in fractal foams with dual pore distribution, focalizing the analysis in features characterizing the pore network. These studies were conducted using foams modelled through the combined use of Discrete and Finite Element Methods (DEM and FEM, respectively). DEM was used to generate pore coordinates, for in a second step modelling pores of varied sizes using FEM. These models allowed to obtain fractal foams with morphologies closer to real experimental foams, which is essential for the subsequent estimation of their mechanical properties through FEM. Using different measurement methods, some analyzes were carried out, such as the effect of the dimension of the Representative Volume Element (RVE) on the porosity percentage, the number of nodes until a convergent behavior, the interconnectivity of the pores, the importance of the pore wall thickness and the fractal dimension determination. The effect of these parameters on the simulated mechanical properties of the foams was analyzed throw the use of FEM.