Metal Foams: A Design Guide

4 Metal Foams: A Design Guide
Application Comment
Sandwich cores Metal foams have low density with good shear and
fracture strength – see Chapters 7 and 10
Strain isolation Metal foams can take up strain mismatch by
crushing at controled pressure – see Chapters 7
and 11
Mechanical damping The damping capacity of metal foams is larger
than that of solid metals by up to a factor of
10 – see Chapter 4
Vibration control Foamed panels have higher natural flexural
vibration frequencies than solid sheet of the same
mass per unit area – see Chapter 4
Acoustic absorption Reticulated metal foams have sound-absorbing
capacity – see Chapter 12
Energy management: Metal foams have exceptional ability to absorb
compact or light energy at almost constant pressure – see
energy absorbers Chapter 11
Packaging with Ability to absorb impact at constant load, coupled
high-temperature with thermal stability above room
capability temperature – see Chapter 11
Artificial wood Metal foams have some wood-like characteristics:
(furniture, wall panels) light, stiff, and ability to be joined with wood
screws – see Chapter 14
Thermal management: Open-cell foams have large accessible surface area
heat exchangers/ and high cell-wall conduction giving exceptional
refrigerators heat transfer ability – see Chapter 13
Thermal management: High thermal conductivity of cell edges together
flame arresters with high surface area quenches combustion – see
Chapter 13
Thermal management: Metfoams are non-flammable; oxidation of cell
heat shields faces of closed-cell aluminum foams appears to
impart exceptional resistance to direct flame
Consumable cores for Metfoams, injection-molded to complex shapes, are
castings used as consumable cores for aluminum castings