Influence of cell wall shape and density on the mechanical behaviour of 2D foam structures

This article describes simulations on the influence of the cell wall shape as well as the density on the elastic stiffness of regular and stochastic honeycomb structures. Starting from an equation by Gibson and Ashby for regular honeycombs, an analytical model is developed that describes the influence of different cell wall shapes on the elastic response of these structures. In addition, this analytical model is modified in order to use free parameters that can be fitted to finite element simulation results of stochastic Voronoï honeycomb structures. The model describes the results well. Young's modulus depends strongly on the cell wall shape, achieving a maximum for slightly concave shapes.