On the elastic deformation behavior of nanoporous metal foams

A refined modeling of the elastic deformation behavior of nanoporous metal foams is discussed. The foam structure is described in terms of relatively massive cubic junctions joining six ligaments of square cross-section. Experimental data are used to roughly estimate the mass agglomerated at junctions and to show that ligaments must be regarded as thick beams. Their bending behavior is described by a hyperbolic shear deformation theory. A good agreement between experimental and theoretical estimates of the Young’s modulus is obtained.