Deformation Behavior of Honeycomb Foams in Compression

In the present work, poly lactic acid (PLA) is used as a model system to investigate the deformation behavior of honeycomb foams under compression loads. Solid PLA tension specimens and foams made of PLA were fabricated using fused deposition 3-D printing technique. The solid PLA tension specimens were characterized for their densities and found to be about 10% lower in density as compared to their bulk counter parts. The honeycomb foams had a relative density of about 47%. The deformation mechanisms leading to the crushing of the honeycomb foams under compression were characterized. Furthermore, simple finite element models were developed to understand the observed deformation behavior of honeycomb foams.