New Aluminum Syntactic Foam: Synthesis and Mechanical Characterization

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Advanced Materials

Background:

• Metal matrix syntactic foams (MMSF) are advanced cellular materials with low density and excellent energy absorption properties.
• Traditional production methods limit matrix-filler combinations based on melting points.
• In-situ synthesis of fillers offers a novel approach to MMSF production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of producing MMSF with similar melting point components using the infiltration casting technique (ICT).
• To synthesize novel aluminum syntactic foams (ASF) using aluminum and natural foaming agents from marble waste.
• To mechanically characterize the developed ASF and compare their properties to existing materials.

Main Methods:

• In-situ synthesis of aluminum fillers using natural foaming agents from marble waste.
• Production of MMSF using the infiltration casting technique (ICT) with similar melting point components.
• Mechanical characterization following ISO-13314 standards, measuring porosity, plateau stress, and energy absorption.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced novel ASF with a porosity of 41%.
• Achieved a plateau stress of 37.65 MPa and energy absorption of 8.62 MJ/m³ (at 35% densification).
• Properties were found to be slightly superior to LECA-ASF at equal porosity.

Conclusions:

• The infiltration casting technique (ICT) is feasible for producing MMSF with similar melting point components.
• Novel ASF synthesized from marble waste exhibit promising mechanical properties for vibration damping and energy absorption.
• These ASF are suitable for applications where LECA-ASF are currently used, offering a potentially more sustainable alternative.