Foam Metal, by its name, seems to be a marvelous combination of metal and foam. It is aspecialty metal materialthat contains foam pores, often with a porosity of 90% or more, and a certain degree of strength and stiffness. Imagine turNing metal into a structure full of holes like a sponge, this is foam metal. Its main structural form of the main two categories: one is the distribution of pores similar to the bubble aggregation structure of the cellular foam metal, closed or open pore structure; the other is the pore prongs connected as a framework structure of three-dimensional mesh foam metal, is also divided into the through-hole and closed pore structure. This unique structure gives the foam metal many properties that ordinary metals do not have.
Performance Characteristics of Foamed Metals
1. Low Density and High Strength
The foam structure in foamed metal allows it to expand considerably in volume and obtain a larger cross-section. This makes its density reduced significantly, with the foam metal made of aircraft, the total mass can be reduced by about half. At the same time, when foam metal is subjected to pressure, it has excellent impact energy absorption properties due to the increase in the force area caused by the collapse of the pores and the strain-hardening effect of the material. This characteristic plays an important role in many fields. For example, the U.S. “Curiosity” Mars rover utilizes foam metal, leveraging its lightweight and high-strength properties to better adapt to the needs of space exploration. Scientists are also committed to building a new generation of the cosmic space station with lightweight metal foam materials, in addition to the advantages of low mass and high strength, the space station at the end of the mission to return to Earth, the atmosphere will enter the air will be violently combusted, and will not leave garbage in space.
2. Outstanding filtration performance
Utilizing the blocking and trapping effect of the through holes in the foam metal on solid particles in the fluid medium, the gas or liquid can be filtered and separated, thereby achieving the purpose of purifying or separating the medium. For example, it can separate oil from water and water from refrigerant. In some industrial production that requires high purity of liquid, the foam metal filter plays a key role in ensuring that the production process is not interfered with by impurities.
3. Powerful Energy Absorption
Porous foam metal has a powerful energy absorption capability, utilizing its elastic deformation to absorb most of the impact energy. In life, our common car bumper, you can use foam metal to absorb the energy of the collision, to reduce the body and passenger damage; spacecraft landing gear will also use foam metal, to help cushion the impact of the landing of the huge; a variety of buffer, mining, and metallurgical machinery energy absorption lining is also inseparable from the foam metal.
4. Good sound insulation performance
When the sound passes through the foam metal, it will be scattered and interfere with the porous structure of the material, so that the sound energy is absorbed by the material or blocked by the porous structure. In some places with high requirements for sound insulation, such as recording studios, movie theaters, etc., the use of foam metal as a soundproofing material can effectively reduce external noise interference and create a quiet environment.
