(cont.) The elastic anisotropy and yield surfaces are fully characterized, and numerical equations are developed to allow the simple evaluation of the effect of geometric and material properties on the mechanical behavior of hollow-sphere foams. The analysis indicates that at relative densities of 10%, hollow-sphere foams have theoretical moduli and strengths that are three times those of existing metallic foams, and this increases to a factor of ten at relative densities below 5%. Several concepts are presented to allow the incorporation of defects into the model, including random packing, variations in bond size, and variations in sphere relative thickness. Finally, the performance of hollow-sphere foams is compared to other low-density engineering materials on a structural basis; hollow-sphere foams offer a beneficial alternative.
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