Evaluating the Performance of Aluminum Foam Cladding for Mitigating Structural Damage across a Wide Load Spectrum: Pressure–Impulse Diagram Analysis

The application of sacrificial claddings such as aluminum foams is one the methods for mitigating blast-induced damage for structures under threat. Aluminum foams are porous, lightweight materials, valued for their energy-absorbing properties, which can significantly reduce peak overpressure of blast loads. Previous studies have predominantly focused on foams with uniform density, often neglecting the coupled dynamic response between the protected structure (PS) and the cladding, and evaluating performance under limited loading conditions. Addressing these gaps, this paper utilizes a sophisticated numerical model based on the shock front theory (SFT) to predict the dynamic response of coupled system of a structure cladded by both uniform and nonuniform density aluminum foams [uniform aluminum foam (U-AF) and nonuniform aluminum foam (nU-AF)]. The study employs detailed pressure–impulse (P-I) diagrams and heat maps to analyze the behavior of the coupled system across a broad spectrum of dynamic loads, revealing novel phenomena such as the “hill” effect and slope shifts due to full foam compaction. Additionally, heat maps showed that inefficient design of the nU-AF cladding may, in certain cases, reduce damage mitigation capacity relative to benchmark cases. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing cladding performance and highlight the importance of proper foam design to maximize protective capabilities within the scope of the assumptions and limitations of the proposed modeling framework.