CorkSTFμfluidics – A novel concept for the development of eco-friendly light-weight energy absorbing composites

CorkSTFμfluidics are environmentally friendly composites consisting of a laminar sheet of compacted micro-agglomerated cork engraved with a network of microchannels by laser and filled with a concentrated aqueous solution of cornstarch (shear thickening fluid). Thus the mechanical properties of these composites will result from the combination of the mechanical properties of the micro-agglomerated of cork and the enhanced shear thickening response of the STF flowing through the network of microchannels. In this work we have performed low velocity impact tests using a drop weight testing machine in order to asses the improvement of these composites with regards to the micro-agglomerated of cork alone. A numerical analysis was also performed and allowed to understand how shear thickening behavior is triggered by the appropriate combination microchannels' size and the inlet velocity. Thus, for the 60P/40S/M sample, the peak force was larger than the one given by the cork sheets without engraved microchannel nor STF.