Relation of impact strength to the microstructure of functionally graded porous structures of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) foamed by thermally activated microspheres

Functionally graded (FG) materials owe their advantage over conventional composites to the continuous microstructure that eliminates many problems like delamination and stress jumps. Functionally graded porous structures have the added advantage of significant weight reduction while maintaining comparable strength to the solid precursor. One of the attractive applications of FG porous polymers is impact energy absorption. This is due to their …