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The Processing and Properties of Syntactic Al Foams Containing Low Cost Expanded Glass Particles
Author(s) -
Wright Andrew,
Kennedy Andrew
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced engineering materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1527-2648
pISSN - 1438-1656
DOI - 10.1002/adem.201600467
Subject(s) - materials science , syntactic foam , composite material
Expanded glass particles (EGP) are used to manufacture Al syntactic foams using a simple vacuum casting method. Clamping of the casting in the stainless steel mold is observed when preheating the mold to >400 C, causing damage to the EGP, resulting in a weaker foam but with the significant advantage of eliminating the yield drop, improving the energy absorption characteristics. The same effect in castings that are not clamped (for mold preheats <400 °C) can be achieved by quenching in liquid nitrogen. These “low strength” syntactic metal foams are a cost‐effective alternative to metal foams and porous metals (in terms of specific strength, stiffness, and energy absorption) rather than “conventional” syntactic foams which contain smaller, stronger, hollow microspheres.