Enhanced filler-tube wall interaction in liquid nanofoam-filled thin-walled tubes

Interfacial bonding is essential to the mechanical properties of foam-filled tubes, but the imperfection in the solid-solid interfacial bonding limits the filler-tube wall interaction, leading to reduced performance. Here, we have employed liquid nanofoam (LN) as a novel filling material in thin-walled tubes, creating a liquid-solid “interfacial bonding”. The crushing behavior of LN-filled tube (LNFT) has been characterized by quasi-static compression and dynamic impact tests. Results show that the strengthening coefficient of the LNFTs was 3.8, much higher than that of best solid foam-filled tubes. The improved reinforcement effect indicates that the filler-tube wall interaction is much enhanced at the liquid-solid interface, which demonstrates the “perfect bonding” between LN and the tube wall. These findings provide new concepts in designing novel composite materials and structures.