Characterization of photopolymer cellular structure with silicone pore filler

Cellular structures are increasingly being used in modern engineering due to their advantageous properties. However, the behaviour of cellular structures made of brittle materials under mechanical loading is often very unpredictable. This paper reports on an experimental study using different silicone rubber mixtures as pore filler material in an open-cell structure made of photopolymer, FullCure M840, to improve its behaviour under quasi-static and dynamic mechanical compressive loading. The experimental results show that the initial brittle behaviour has been completely stabilized by using the silicone pore filler, resulting in improved mechanical properties and significantly higher energy absorption capability of the cellular structure, thus providing unique material properties which could be adapted for individually optimized applications.