Aluminium Foam Sandwich Panels: Manufacture, Metallurgy and Applications

Abstract

Sandwich panels consisting of a highly porous aluminium foam core and aluminium alloy face sheets are manufactured by roll‐bonding aluminium alloy sheets to a densified mixture of metal powders – usually Al‐Si or Al‐Si‐Cu alloys with 6–8% Si and 3–10% Cu – and titanium hydride, and foaming the resulting three‐layer structure by a thermal treatment. We review the various processing steps of aluminium foam sandwich (AFS) and the metallurgical processes during foaming, compare the process to alternative ways to manufacture AFS, e.g. by adhesive bonding, and give an overview of the available literature. Two ways to treat AFS after foaming are presented, namely forging and age‐hardening. Some current and potential applications are described and the market potential of AFS is assessed.

Fabrication of an Al Foam/Dense Steel Composite by Friction Welding

“…5) Typically, Al foam and dense materials are bonded together with an adhesive. However, adhesives have raised considerable environmental concern, 9) are difficult to recycle, 8) and cannot be used in heat-resistant nonflammable components. 8) Clad bonding and friction stir welding have been tested as metal bonding methods to create adhesive-free composites.…”

The mechanical properties and modeling of a sintered hollow sphere steel foam

“…The use of the metal mesh reinforced panels reduced the weight of the floors by 75% in comparison to conventional reinforced concrete decks [12]. Lefebvren et al [13], Banhart and Seeliger [11] and Smith et al [1] provide an extensive overview of current industrial applications of metallic foams.…”

“…Sandwich panels, with a metallic foam core, have bending stiffness to weight ratio an order of magnitude greater than a solid plate of the same weight [11]. A parking garage metallic foam floor slab was manufactured, and full-scale load tests carried out successfully.…”

Fabrication and Tensile Tests of Aluminum Foam Sandwich with Dense Steel Face Sheets by Friction Stir Processing Route

“…35) It is considered that the AFS fabricated using an adhesive cannot be used under high-temperature conditions 4) and has limited usage owing to the difficulty in recycling 4) and considerable environmental concerns. 6) To overcome these limitations, metallurgical bonding between aluminum foam and dense sheets is performed.…”

“…6) To overcome these limitations, metallurgical bonding between aluminum foam and dense sheets is performed. In the previous studies, 4) the metallurgical bonding of the AFS was achieved by a powder metallurgical route. This process consists of mixing aluminum powders with a blowing agent and compacting the obtained mixture to obtain dense aluminum composites called foamable precursors.…”