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research article

Impact properties of shear thickening fluid impregnated foams

Soutrenon, M.  
•
Michaud, V.  
2014
Smart Materials And Structures

Concentrated colloidal suspensions of silica particles in polyethylene glycol exhibit a shear thickening behavior: above a critical shear rate in a confined environment, they show a steep increase of viscosity. This reversible transition from a low to a high viscosity state is associated with a large energy absorption that could be harnessed for impact protection. As these suspensions are liquid at rest, however, shear thickening fluids (STFs) are difficult to use in practical applications. Furthermore, their specific rheological properties exist within a narrow range of concentration, so they tend to disappear when the material is in contact with air and humidity. In this work, a soft foam scaffold was impregnated with STF to provide a three-dimensional shape to the assembly at rest, while a silicone was cast around it to serve as a physical barrier to the external environment. A method to quickly impregnate the foam was proposed. Impact tests were carried out on the STF/foam/silicone composite pads using a free fall impact tower. Compared to rubber or pure silicone, larger energy absorptions, up to 85%, were observed, which could be repeated for multiple impacts. The transmitted shock waves were also reduced, showing the potential of this system for impact protection of structures.

  • Details
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Type
research article
DOI
10.1088/0964-1726/23/3/035022
Web of Science ID

WOS:000331627100023

Author(s)
Soutrenon, M.  
Michaud, V.  
Date Issued

2014

Publisher

Institute of Physics

Published in
Smart Materials And Structures
Volume

23

Issue

3

Article Number

035022

Subjects

shear thickening fluids

•

impact

•

energy dissipation

•

composite

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
LTC  
Available on Infoscience
April 2, 2014
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/102370
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