On the porosity of advanced pore morphology structures

Porosity is the main characteristic of cellular composite structures. This article presents a simple theory and guidelines for estimating total and partial porosities in multi-phase cellular materials with granular structure, based on mass measurements in different phases of production process. The theory allows for estimation of the total, closed, and open porosities. It also accounts for different element types, and addresses the contraction of composite during adhesive activation phase. The presented theory is used to estimate lower and upper limits of the total and partial porosities in Advanced Pore Morphology (APM) composite structures. In addition, the influence of neglecting the adhesive phase in APM element and composite on the error of their porosity measurements is theoretically estimated. The presented theory is equally applicable to other porous granular composite structures.