title: The properties of foams and lattices.
abstract: Man and nature both exploit the remarkable properties of cellular solids, by which we mean foams, meshes and microlattices. To the non-scientist, their image is that of soft, compliant, things: cushions, packaging and padding. To the food scientist they are familiar as bread, cake and desserts of the best kind: meringue, mousse and sponge. To those who study nature they are the structural materials of their subject: wood, coral, cancellous bone. And to the engineer they are of vast importance in building lightweight structures, for energy management, for thermal insulation, filtration and much more. When a solid is converted into a material with a foam-like structure, the single-valued properties of the solid are extended. By properties we mean stiffness, strength, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, electrical resistivity and so forth. And the extension is vast-the properties can be changed by a factor of 1000 or more. Perhaps the most important concept in analysing the mechanical behaviour is that of the distinction between a stretch- and a bending-dominated structure. The first is exceptionally stiff and strong for a given mass; the second is compliant and, although not strong, it absorbs energy well when compressed. This paper summarizes a little of the way in which the mechanical properties of cellular solids are analysed and illustrates the range of properties offered by alternative configurations.
authors.affiliation: Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, UK. mfa2@eng.cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ashby
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D004548:Elasticity; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005740:Gases; D011108:Polymers