Multiaxial yield behaviour of Al replicated foam

Multiaxial experiments are performed on replicated aluminium foam using a custom-built apparatus. The foam structure is isotropic, and features open monomodal pores 75 mu m in average diameter. Plane stress (sigma(1), sigma(2), sigma(3) = 0) and axisymmetric (sigma(1), sigma(2) = sigma(3)) yield envelopes are measured using cubical specimens, supplemented by tests on hollow cylindrical and uniaxial samples. In addition to the three stress components at 0.2% offset strain, the computer-controlled testing apparatus also measures the three instantaneous displacement vectors. Results show that the shape of the yield surface is independent of the relative density of the foam in the explored range (13-28%). Strain increment vectors lie, within error, roughly normal to the line traced through data points in stress space. Replicated foams feature asymmetric yield behaviour between tension and compression. The data additionally show an influence on the yield surface of the third stress tensor invariant (i.e., of the Lode angle). Simple general expressions for the yield surface are fitted to the data, leading to conclude that their behaviour is slightly better captured by parabolic rather than elliptic expressions dependent on all three stress invariants. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.