Dynamic Deformation Behavior of Aluminum Foam

Dear Colleagues,

Lightweight materials are important and essential for both structural and nonstructural applications. Among such materials are aluminum metal foams. Aluminum is among the most widely available metals in the Earth’s crust and also among the lighter metals. Aluminum metal foams consist of a cellular structure composed of solid aluminum with gas-filled pores comprising a large portion of the volume. Foams are of two types, namely closed-cell foam (with sealed pores) and open-cell foam (with interconnected pores), and have a relative density generally varying from 0.05 to 0.20. These foams have been widely used in non-load-bearing applications for sound absorption, damping, and heat exchange, among others. Aluminum foam has also been widely used as filler for hollow metal structural elements or as a sandwich layer to improve energy absorption. One primary drawback of aluminum foam is the low compression strength, which prevents its use as a load-bearing element in addition to the above-mentioned advantages. Furthermore, a better understanding and control of the manufacturing process, its cellular microstructure, and its deformation response to dynamic loading whether mechanical or thermal can help to create higher performance foams while maintaining the light weight characteristics. The forthcoming Special Issue will focus on advances in fabrication of aluminum foams for superior mechanical and/or thermal performance and energy absorption characteristics (especially under dynamic loading), modeling and simulation of the behavior of foams under dynamic loading, and experimental studies on aluminum foams to understand their mechanical/thermal response and failure characteristics under dynamic loading.

Prof. Sanjeev Khanna
Guest Editor

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