Currently, most cellular solid sandwich panel cores require multiple advanced manufacturing procedures that drive increasing costs for applications. Pumice is a naturally occurring cellular solid that exhibits a microstructure very similar to advanced ceramic foams. This work presents a manufacturing process for producing composite panels of pumice stones and epoxy binder. The cost and weight efficient structure is evaluated through mechanical testing and investigated for possible energy absorption applications. Mechanical performance as a function of relative density is presented and compared to currently available core materials, and scaling laws developed.
Hagiwara, H. and Green, D.J. ( 1987). Elastic Behavior of Open-cell Alumina, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 70(11): 811-815.
2.
Verdooren, A. , Chan, H.M., Grenestedt, J.L., Harmer, M.P. and Caram, H.S. (2005). Fabrication of Ferrous Metallic Foams by Reduction of Ceramic Foam Precursors, Journal of Materials Science, 40(16): 4333-4339.
3.
Brezny, R. and Green, D.J. ( 1989). Fracture Behavior of Open-cell Ceramics, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 72(7): 1145-1152.
4.
Van Voothees, E.J. and Green, D.J. (1991). Failure Behavior of Cellular-core Ceramic Sandwich Composites, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 74(11): 2747-2752.
5.
Vedula, V.R., Green, D.J. and Hellman, J.R. ( 1999). Thermal Shock Resistance of Ceramic Foams, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 82(3): 649-656.
6.
Dam, C.Q. , Brezny, R. and Green, D.J. (1990). Compressive Behavior and Deformation-mode Map of an Open Cell Alumina, Journal of Materials Research, 5(1): 163-171.
7.
Ashby, M., Evans, A., Fleck, N., Gibson, L., Hutchinson, J. and Wadley, H. ( 2000). Properties of Metal Foams, In: Metal Foam: A Design Guide, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK, p. 45.
8.
Gibson, L. and Ashby, M. ( 1988). Cellular Solids, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
9.
Ziyang, G. ( 2005). Dynamic Behavior of Cellular Materials and Cellular Structures: Experiments and Modeling, PhD Thesis, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
10.
Sanders, W. and Gibson, L. (2003). Mechanics of Hollow Sphere Foams, Materials Science and Engineering, 347: 70-85.
11.
Sanders, W. and Gibson, L. (2003). Mechanics of BCC and FCC Hollow Sphere Foams, Materials Science and Engineering , 352: 150-161.
12.
Hossain, K.M.A. (2004). Development of Volcanic Pumice-based Cement and Lightweight Concrete, Magazine of Concrete Research, 56(2): 99-109.
13.
Stycast 1264 (2005) A/B Technical Data Sheet, Emerson & Cuming, A National Starch and Chemical Company.
14.
Astm (2004) C365/C365M - 05 Standard Test Method for Flatwise Compressive Properties of Sandwich Cores.
15.
Zupan, M., Deshpande, V. and Fleck, N. ( 2004). The Collapse of Woven Core Sandwich Beams, European Journal of Mechanics A-Solids, 23: 411-421.
