Framework lets designers maximize energy absorption in foams while minimizing weight and volume.
Mechanical engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a new framework that speeds up the design of shock-absorbing foam materials , used in everything from sports and military helmets to spacecraft landing struts.
For engineers and designers, this framework is like giving a GPS map through the complex terrain of foam design—saving months of trial-and-error testing.“We’ve developed a novel design framework to help designers create a shock-absorbing material of a specific geometry that does exactly what they want it to do without adding weight or extra volume,” said Ramathasan Thevamaran, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW–Madison who led the research.“It allows designers to customize the material for the best performance, tailored to diverse applications, without going through lots of experimental trial and error.”“The new framework could dramatically reduce the time and cost of developing protective gear for athletes, soldiers, and astronauts, making equipment lighter, safer, and more efficient.”Rethinking foam designTraditionally, foam design has focused on maintaining a constant stress plateau, with iterations aimed at optimizing mechanical properties alone. Designers typically ignored how pad thickness or surface area influences performance.The UW–Madison team took a different approach, considering thickness, area, and mechanical properties together. They discovered that in some impact scenarios, foams with nonlinear stress-strain responses can outperform those that maintain a constant stress level.“This work shows foams that have been traditionally considered as ‘ideal absorbers’ aren’t always the best,” Thevamaran said. “We show foams with a nonlinear response can in fact offer a broader design space, especially when a compact pad design is required. Notably, these findings are very general and applicable to a wide range of material systems, including metamaterials.”Because the framework works with a wide range of material systems, it could also guide the design of next-generation metamaterials, soft robotics components, and energy-absorbing structures in vehicles.Customizing foam for optimal performanceThe researchers’ framework uses inputs like foam thickness, area, and material properties to produce a design map that maximizes energy absorption. Designers can optimize for minimal thickness, lighter weight, or both, without repeated trial and error.To demonstrate the framework, the team applied it to vertically aligned carbon nanotube foams they have been developing, achieving optimal protective properties for different applications. The framework is now freely available online for designers and engineers worldwide.The team envisions that future iterations of the framework could incorporate AI-driven optimization, enabling designers to rapidly simulate hundreds of material configurations in minutes.The study, published August 4, 2025, in Nature Communications, could reshape how protective materials are designed, opening doors to lighter, more efficient, and application-specific shock-absorbing solutions.
Foam Materials Helmet Safety Lightweight Materials Material Design Mechanical Engineering Protective Materials Shock-Absorbing Foam Spacecraft Cushioning UW–Madison
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