Evaluation of Compression Performance of APM Aluminum Foam-Polymer Filled Pipes Prepared via Different Epoxy Resin Bonding Processes

Abstract

The composite structure with aluminum foam not only has the strength and toughness of the dense material but also reduces the weight of the component and increases specific deformation energy absorption performance. In this paper, advanced pore morphology (APM) foam elements are combined with thin-walled circular steel pipes by epoxy-bonding and epoxy foam-bonding processes to prepare composite circular pipes. The direct epoxy-bonding process using epoxy resin refers to coating the surface of APM spheres, whereas the epoxy foam-bonding process involves the mixing of the epoxy resin with the epoxy foaming agent and then coating the surface of APM spheres with this mixed epoxy resin. The compression performances and energy absorption performances were analyzed by quasistatic compression tests. Results indicate that the different bonding modes change the deformation mode of the specimen under compression. The epoxy foam-bonding APM composite pipe has a higher compression load level than the epoxy-bonding APM filled pipe. The epoxy foam-bonding APM composite pipe is superior to the epoxy-bonding APM composite and thin-wall hollow pipe. Hence, the combination of foaming and bonding of epoxy can be used as a new filling process for APM fillers.