Abstract: To make use of aluminum foams reasonably and effectively, it is necessary to study their mechanical properties under dynamic impact. In order to increase the validity and precision of split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments for foam materials, dynamic compressive experiments of aluminumalloy foams are conducted by means of a polycarbonate SHPB system, their compressive stressstrain curves are derived at different impact speeds, and their dynamic mechanical behavior and deformation mechanism are discussed. The experimental results show that the strain rate sensitivity of aluminumalloy foams is not significant so that their dynamic yield strengths can be expressed by their static ones. However, further investigation is needed to see if the results derived in this article apply to other aluminum foams.

Key words: aluminum alloys, dynamic compression, mechanical properties, SHPB