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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

Casting Protocols for the Production of Open Cell Aluminum Foams by the Replication Technique and the Effect on Porosity
Published on: December 11, 2014
How to Study Thermal Applications of Open-Cell Metal Foam: Experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics
Sven De Schampheleire1, Peter De Jaeger2, Kathleen De Kerpel3
1Flow, Heat and Combustion Mechanics, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, Ghent 9000, Belgium. Sven.DeSchampheleire@ugent.be.
Abstract:
This paper reviews the available methods to study thermal applications with open-cell metal foam. Both experimental and numerical work are discussed. For experimental research, the focus of this review is on the repeatability of the results. This is a major concern, as most studies only report the dependence of thermal properties on porosity and a number of pores per linear inch (PPI-value). A different approach, which is studied in this paper, is to characterize the foam using micro tomography scans with small voxel sizes. The results of these scans are compared to correlations from the open literature. Large differences are observed. For the numerical work, the focus is on studies using computational fluid dynamics. A novel way of determining the closure terms is proposed in this work. This is done through a numerical foam model based on micro tomography scan data. With this foam model, the closure terms are determined numerically.
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