They are used in structures such as heat sinks and exchangers, chemical beds and scrubbers, filters and mist eliminators, and battery plates. Like closed cell foams, they continue to find use in applications where vibration and sound absorption is needed.

What is aluminum foam used for?

They are used in structures such as heat sinks and exchangers, chemical beds and scrubbers, filters and mist eliminators, and battery plates. Like closed cell foams, they continue to find use in applications where vibration and sound absorption is needed.

How strong is aluminum foam?

*Example* Physical Characteristics of Duocel Aluminum Foam (6101-T6, 8% Relative Density):

Compression Strength 367 psi (2.53 MPa)
Tensile Strength* 180 psi (1.24 MPa)
Shear Strength* 190 psi (1.31 MPa)
Modulus of Elasticity (Compression)* 15 × 103 psi (103.08 MPa)
Modulus of Elasticity (Tension)* 14.6 × 103 psi (101.84 MPa)

Why is Aluminium used for metal foam?

Metallic foams mimic natural cellular materials like cork, bone and coral which, as a result of their structure, tend to have a very high compression strength and stiffness by comparison to their low weight.

How is aluminum foam made?

Aluminium metal foams are produced with various methods like powder metallurgy technique, sintering technique, addition of gas in melt injection, using agent in melt foaming, and investing casting.

What are the downsides to using metal foam?

Conventional metal foams have gas-filled pores within the metal, which reduce weight but pose some drawbacks, such as difficulty in controlling the size and shape of the pores during manufacturing.

Is metal foam expensive?

Metal foams are still very expensive due to the complicated and energy-intensive manufacturing procedure. Mass production may lead to lower prices, but the possibility of price reduction in the future is still indefinite.

What are the disadvantages of metal foam?

How strong is metal foam?

The strength of foamed metal possesses a power law relationship to its density; that is, a 20% dense material is more than twice as strong as a 10% dense material. The foam-shaped materials exhibit a continuously connected ligamented, reticulated open-cell geometry having a duodecahedronal cell shape.