Experimental study of the quasi-static and dynamic behaviour of cork under compressive loading

Cork is a natural cellular material with increasing industrial applications due to its remarkable combination of properties. Its mechanical behaviour explains why it is often used for applications like sealing, packaging, insulation, vibration control, weight reduction, flotation, sound damping, etc. However, the mechanical behaviour of cork when subjected to impact has not been well investigated yet since the studies described in the literature generally focus strain rates below 10−1 s−1. Understanding the behaviour of cork at high rates of deformation becomes imperative when considering applications such as crash protection. Hence, in the present work, the authors compare the quasi-static and dynamic response of four types of cork when compressed axially at strain rates from 10−3 s−1 to 600 s−1. Data from the Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bars are used to generate stress–strain curves for natural and agglomerate cork samples, and the results are discussed in terms of the cellular structure of cork.