INVESTIGATION INTO THE ENERGY ABSORPTION AND FAILURE CHARACTERISTICS OF SYNTACTIC FOAMS AT HIGH STRAIN RATES(1.Institute of Solid Mechanics, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing 100083, China;

Some dynamic compressive tests about polyurethane rigid (PUR) syntactic foams have been done by SHPB experimental set. The stress-strain curves of PUR syntactic foams of 3 different densities are obtained at higher strain rates and their dynamic mechanical properties are also investigated at the same time. Based on all the stress-strain curves obtained, the characteristics of the energy absorption of PUR syntactic foams are analyzed and discussed furthermore. It is found that the envelope of optimum energy absorption of PUR syntactic foams is the same line in the energy absorption diagram. In addition, the dynamic failure characteristics are studied by means of SEM analyses for PUR syntactic foams specimens after loading.