Experimental response of agglomerated cork under multi-impact loads

• The behaviour of agglomerated cork subjected to 3 consecutive impacts was analysed.
• The maximum contact force remains almost constant with consecutive impacts.
• The absorbed energy can be considered independent of the number of impacts.
• Agglomerated cork is a good alternative in applications subjected to multi-impacts.

In contrast to other cellular materials, which deform by crushing under impact and develop permanent deformation, agglomerated cork has a viscoelastic response and is environmentally friendly; therefore, it could be a good alternative to be used in engineering applications subjected to more than one impact, and thus further understanding of the energy-absorption capabilities of this material under multi-impact conditions is needed. In this work the multi-impact behaviour of agglomerated cork was studied experimentally by performing several consecutive impacts in a drop-weight tower on specimens of different thickness and at two impact energy levels. The maximum contact force, maximum strain, and the absorbed energy were evaluated in each test. The results show the great capability of agglomerated cork to continue absorbing energy after several consecutive impacts.