Structure and Application of Porous Metallic Materials

Dear Colleagues,

In Nature, porous materials are found in structures such as wood, bone, coral, etc. They possess similar mechanical properties with strong and lightweight structures. Therefore, it is not unexpected that manufacturers of porous materials have been inspired by biological structures. The commercialization of porous metals has lagged somewhat behind due to high production prices, but saw an increase in worldwide research and development beginning in the 1990s. A unique mixture of physical and mechanical properties is delivered by porous metals, in combinations that dense metals cannot achieve. The interest mainly lies in exploiting their ability to be incorporated into strong, stiff, lightweight structures. For example, Al foams are particularly good for the "filling" in sandwich panels to absorb energy, vibration and sound with resilience at high temperature coupled with improved thermal conductivity. The applications of porous metals and metal foams depend on their structure. Closed-cell foams with pores divided by metal cell walls are mainly used for structural applications. On the other hand, open-cell foams with a continuous network of metallic structures in each strut frame are connected, weaker, and primarily used in functional applications. Due to the specific nature (mechanical properties vs. weight) and possibilities to reduce the final product's total weight, research and development should be encouraged in this field.

Materials engineering in the field of porous metals includes mainly powder metallurgy, with manufacturing possibilities like additive manufacturing, sintering etc. All the techniques are used in biomedical, aircraft and aerospace industry as well as in transport and civil engineering. Such materials have an exponentially growing range of applications, and thus need to be developed and studied in detail.

Dr. Crtomir Donik
Dr. Irena Paulin
Guest Editors

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