Effect of heat treatment on the low velocity impact response of A356/SiCp composite foam

In this work, the effect of heat treatment on the low velocity impact response of closed-cell A356 aluminum alloy foam was investigated. A number of aluminum foam specimens were processed by T6 aging treatment. The drop weight impact test with a hemispherical striker tip was carried out on both as-received and T6-aged specimens. The load-time history data obtained showed a significant increase in the plateau load level for the heat-treated specimens. The length of plateau region is decreased for these specimens. It was also found that the heat treatment can significantly raise the energy absorption capacity of this cellular metal. Furthermore, the impact behavior of tested foams was simulated through a 3D finite element code. The numerical results were compared with the experimental ones and validated. The results showed that the numerical model can predict accurately the plateau load level, the impact time, the energy absorbed by the foam and the failure mode of the material.