No description available.

Inadequate understanding and/or control of the polyurethane rigid foam process normally requires five to ten percent overpack of cavities to obtain correct fill and foam characteristics. This practice of overpacking has resulted in excessive waste and cost.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1980 / Includes bibliographical references. / by Marcos German Ortiz Molina. / Ph. D. / Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering

This study is concerned with the mechanical behavior of open-cell aluminum foams. In particular the compressive response of aluminum foams is analyzed through careful experiments and analyses. The microstructure of foams of three different cell sizes was first analyzed using X-ray tomography. This included characterization of the polyhedral geometry of cells, establishment of the cell anisotropy and statistical distribution of ligament lengths, and measurement of the ligament cross sectional area distribution. Crushing experiments were performed on various specimen sizes in the principal directions of anisotropy. The compressive response of aluminum foams is similar to that of many other cellular materials. It starts with a linearly elastic regime that terminates into a limit load followed by an extensive stress plateau. During the plateau, the deformation localizes in the form of inclined but disorganized bands. The evolution of such localization patterns was monitored using X-ray tomography. At the end of the plateau, the response turns into a second stable branch as most cells collapse and the foam is densified. The crushing experiments are simulated numerically using several levels of modeling. The ligaments are modeled as shear-deformable beam elements and the cellular microstructure is mainly represented using the 14-sided Kelvin cell in periodic domains of various sizes. Other geometries considered include the perturbed Kelvin cell, and foams with random microstructures generated by the Surface Evolver software. All microstructures are assigned geometric characteristics that derive directly from the measurements. Unlike elastic foams, for elastic-plastic foams the prevalent instability is a limit load. The limit load can be captured using one fully periodic characteristic cell. The predicted limit stresses agree with the measured initiation stresses very well. This very good performance coupled with its simplicity make the characteristic cell model a powerful tool in metal foam mechanics. The subsequent crushing events, the stress plateau and desification were successfully reproduced using models with larger, finite size domains involving several characteristic cells. Results indicate that accurate representation of the ligament bending rigidity and the base material inelastic properties are essential whereas the randomness of the actual foam microstructure appears to play a secondary role. / text

Decreasing the carbon footprint through use of renewable materials has environmental and societal impact. Foams are a valuable constituent in buildings by themselves or as a core in sandwich composites. Kenaf is a Southeast USA plant that provides renewable filler. The core of the kenaf is porous with a cell size in a 5-10 micrometer range. The use of kenaf core in foams represents a novel multiscalar cellular structural composite. Rigid polyurethane foams were made using free foaming expansion with kenaf core as filler with loadings of 5, 10 and 15 %. Free foaming was found to negatively affect the mechanical properties. An innovative process was developed to introduce a constraint to expansion during foaming. Two expansion ratios were examined: 40 and 60 % (decreasing expansion ratio). MicroCT and SEM analysis showed a varying structure of open and closed cell pores. The mechanical, thermal insulation, acoustic properties were measured. Pure PU foam showed improved cell size uniformity. Introducing kenaf core resulted in decreasing the PU performance in the free expansion case. This was reversed by introducing constraints. To understand the combined impact of having a mixed close cell and open cell architecture, finite element modeling was done using ANSYS. Models were created with varying percentages of open, closed, and bulk cells to encompass entire range of foam porosities. Net zero energy building information modelling was conducted using EnergyPlus was conducted using natural fiber composite skins. Environmental impacts for instance global warming potential, acidification, eutrophication, fossil fuel consumption, ozone depletion, and smog potential of the materials used in construction was studied using life cycle assessment. The results showed improvement on energy consumption and carbon footprint.