Modelling the damping response of biomimetic foams based on pomelo fruit

Abstract Some sorts of fruits, like pomelo (Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis), also spelled pummelo, are of special interest for researchers and engineers during the development of impact resistant structures. It is assumed that the interaction of structural features on different length-scales of such fruits enables the dissipation of large amounts of energy during their impact against a hard surface. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to perform an analysis by using a numerical model at different hierarchical levels by means of Finite Element Methods (FEM) in order to identify different structural features that contribute to the damping performance of the pomelo fruit. The considered numerical model was created on the basis of homogeneous aluminum (AlSi7Mg0.3) foam structure, inspired by the pomelo fruit shell structure. In the present approach, the Si- or Fe-rich intermetallic particles on the struts of AlSi7Mg0.3 foam are considered additionally, this enabled more detailed investigations on the structural behavior of the foam during different loading conditions. Comparison of the results from simulation and experimental compression tests showed promising results with respect to the deformation behavior, which are offering support to the design of biomimetic metallic foams. Understanding the principles of combining the structure and material inspired by biological systems enables constructing new lightweight bio-inspired materials of high impact and puncture resistance with a combination of high-energy dissipation, high damping properties and a significant recovery from large deformations.