The mechanical response of a syntactic polyurethane foam at low and high rates of strain

•Response of a PU syntactic foam measured in compression, tension and shear.•Response measured at quasi-static and high strain rates.•The syntactic foam displays strain rate sensitivity superior to that of solid PU.•The foam displays high tensile and shear ductility at low and high strain rates.•The foam displays tension/compression asymmetry in the quasi-static regime.

Quasi-static and dynamic experiments are conducted to characterise the mechanical response of a syntactic foam comprising hollow glass microballoons in a polyurethane matrix. Stress versus strain histories are measured in uniaxial tension and compression as well as in pure shear, at strain rates ranging from 10−4 to 103 s−1, via non-standard experimental techniques; quasi-static in-situ tests are conducted to visualise the deformation mechanisms in tension and compression. The material displays a pronounced sensitivity to the imposed strain rate and relatively high tensile and shear ductility at both low and high strain rates. A tension/compression asymmetry is displayed in quasi-static tests but is lost at high rates of strain.