DETERMINATION OF FOUR CHARACTERISTIC REGIONS IN THE STRESS–STRAIN RESPONSE OF APM FOAM UNDER COMPRESSION USING DVC

The Advanced Pore Morphology (APM) foam element is a recently developed cellular material composed of spherical metallic elements with favourable mechanical properties. Owing to their ability to sustain large deformations under compression, APM foams are used as energyabsorbing structures, stiffening and damping elements, core layers, and fillers in composite materials. A major advantage lies in their straightforward application as fillers in hollow components, such as automotive parts, where they markedly enhance energy absorption with only a minimal weight penalty. Although several studies have investigated APM foams, their mechanical characterization remains limited. Hence, this investigation aims to determine the compressive behaviour of individual APM foam element under quasi-static loading through 3D strain measurement from an in-situ XCT compression test. Bulk kinematics were quantified using global Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) with finite element discretization, while global material behaviour was derived from mean nodal DVC strain levels obtained via the virtual gauge.