What are some possible applications for metal foam?
Open-celled metal foam, also called metal sponge, can be used in heat exchangers (compact electronics cooling, cryogen tanks, PCM heat exchangers), energy absorption, flow diffusion, and lightweight optics. The high cost of the material generally limits its use to advanced technology, aerospace, and manufacturing.
What is Aluminium foam used for?
The porous structure of the aluminium foam absorbs the impact energy. This property can be used during transport to protect against collisions, as armor and explosion protection. Metal foam dampens sound. Therefore, aluminium foam panels can be used as sound absorption walls along streets and railways.
Why is metal foam used in tanks?
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a range of Composite Metal Foams (CMFs) that can be used for the armour of tanks, to create lighter and stronger vehicles. The material also insulates better against high heat than the conventional base metals and alloys, such as steel.
Who invented composite metal foam?
Afsaneh Rabiei
The ultra-high-strength composite metal foam created by Afsaneh Rabiei is a highlight of a well-traveled career during which the researcher has tried to learn everything she can about advanced materials. The result: a brand new material that can save energy and lives.
What are the downsides of metal foam?
Conventional metal foams have gas-filled pores within the metal, which reduce weight but pose some drawbacks, such as difficulty in controlling the size and shape of the pores during manufacturing.
What are the benefits of metal foam?
The key properties of metal foam are as follows:
- Ultralight material (75–95% of the volume consists of void spaces)
- Very high porosity.
- High compression strengths combined with good energy absorption characteristics.
- Thermal conductivity is low.
- High strength.
What are the downsides to using metal foam?
How strong is metal foam?
The defining characteristic of these foams is a very high porosity, with typically 75-95% of the volume consisting of void spaces. The strength of foamed material possesses a power law relationship to its density: for example, a 20% dense material is more than twice as strong as a 10% dense material.
Is metal foam bullet proof?
If you make that foam out of metal, it turns out, it can stop a projectile. Researchers from North Carolina State University have created just such a foam, and it can freeze the trajectory of a . 50 caliber bullet better than the current armor used by the military—thick slabs of steel—at half the weight.
What is the strongest foam?
Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, has revealed the strongest metal foam ever. It can compress up to 80% of its original size under loading and still retain its original shape.