Structure of foams modeled by Laguerre-Voronoi tessellations

摘要

Voronoi tessellations are widely used to represent various cellular structures found in the nature. In this study we propose using a model based on Laguerre-Voronoi tessellations (LVT) to simulate the geometry of engineering foams. It is demonstrated that geometrical features of the modeled foam structures, such as the number of faces per pore, are close to the ones observed experimentally. The LVT approach, used here, allows for the investigation of the influence of variations in the pore size on the specific surface area and porosity of the foams. Based on the results obtained and an analysis of the models available in literature, corrections to the volume fraction and model of specific surface area of pores is proposed, which are especially important when the foam porosity is smaller than 70%. The relationships between different structural parameters of the models of foam structures are provided. These parameters are compared with those proposed by other authors and their applicability is verified using commercially available alumina foams.