Improvement of the mechanical properties of Kagome structures using PUR foam matrices

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

This study investigates the opportunities of improvement of the compressive stiffness, strength, and energy absorption capabilities of metamaterial structures based on Kagome cells using rigid polyurethane (PUR) foam matrices for embedding. Three densities were considered for the Kagome structures: 142.8 kg m-3, 198.2 kg m-3, and 257.7 kg m-3, respectively (corresponding to a relative density of approximately 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 respectively), while the density of the PUR foam was maintained constant at 90 kg m-3. The structures were incorporated in sandwich panels using thermoplastic polymer-reinforced woven glass fiber faces and were subjected to static and dynamic tests using a drop tower. Considering the weight added by the PUR matrix, the performance of the investigated structures was evaluated with respect to their density, the results showing better stiffness- and strength-to-weight ratios for the bare structures but significantly higher energy absorption capabilities for the embedded structures.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)185-193
Number of pages9
Journal Materials testing : Materialprüfung
Volume68
Issue number2
Early online date19 Jan 2026
Publication statusPublished - 24 Feb 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-2834-8933/work/203811280
ORCID /0000-0003-0428-5341/work/203812535
ORCID /0000-0001-5099-5489/work/203812578
WOS 001662472500001
Mendeley fa8bef1e-c8fb-3052-90d3-f7a7fe6a0620

Keywords

Keywords

  • Cellular materials, dynamic compression, energy absorption, metastructures, sandwich panels