Characteristics of Closed Cell

Aluminum Foams
Efficient energy absorption
Excellent stiffness-to-weight ratio
Nearly isotropic - Multiaxial loading
Low thermal conductivity
Fire resistant
Shock wave attenuation
Sound and vibration damping and absorption
Tailorable density and properties
Recyclable
Production Process for
Aluminum Foam Parts
Mixing Press Extrusion
press

Al - Powder
F
(Alloys)
+TiH2 - Powder
CIP Foamable
precursor

Mold

Foaming Aluminum foam

Heating T ~ 700 C 3-D-part
Al Foams: Flat plates and 3-D shapes for
cores in lightweight aluminum castings
 Quasi-Static Behavior of Aluminum Foam
60
0 = 0 .8 2 gm /c c
0 = 0 .5 7 gm /c c
50 0 = 0 .4 7 gm /c c
0 = 0 .3 4 gm /c c
Engineering Stress, MPa.

40

30

20

10

0
0 0 .1 0 .2 0 .3 0 .4 0 .5 0 .6 0 .7

E n g in e e r in g S t r a in .
Aluminum Foam Filled 304SS Tubes
After Axial Compression
3-D molded foam shape for auto
crash energy absorption
Aluminum foam insert used for stiffening
and energy absorption in auto side rail
 Tailorability of Aluminum Foams
50

10
[MPa]

1
0.5 1.0
3
Density (g/cm )

Plateau stress of Al-12Si foams as a function of foam density

 Tailorability of Aluminum Foams
E [GPa]

50

10

1
0.1 0.5 1.0
Relative density

Elastic modulus of Al-12Si foams as a function of density

 Aluminum Foam Used in Hybrid Vehicle Armor

Alumina Ceramic
Aluminum Foam

Fiber reinforced polymer

Cross-section through lightweight armor using aluminum

foam layer, after 20 mm FSP ballistic testing for the U.S. Army.

Aluminum foam impedance layer provides:

Improved defeat of projectile

Enhanced ballistic shock wave attenuation
Lower dynamic deflection of backplate
Aluminum Foam Frame for Ballistic
Stress Wave Management
External Aluminum Foam Force measurements for shots 13-16
Frame Offset Impact Without Al Foam vs. With Al Foam
Location 2 Location 3

0
0

-5
-5

-10
3

Force(Kilo-Lb)
Force(Kilo-Lb)

-10
-15

-20
-15 2

-25 -20

No Al foam No AL foam
-30
No Al foam No AL foam
With Al foam -25
With AL foam
With Al foam With AL foam
-35
-30
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Time (ms) Time (ms)
External Aluminum Foam Acceleration Measurements
Frame - Center Impact Without Al Foam vs. With Al Foam
3TEX-4A- 2 W ithout AL foa m 3 TEX -4A -3 W ith AL f oam

12 12

10 10

8 Shot 2 8 Shot 3
Acceleration(Kilo-g)

Acceleration(Kilo-g)
6 6

4 4

2 2

0 0

-2 -2

-4 -4

-6 -6

-8 -8
0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4 6 8
Time (ms ) Time (ms )
Vibration Damping Tests on Al Foam
and Bulk Al Sheets

Weight Area
(kg) (mm)

3 mm
1.9 500x500
Al sheet

5 mm
3.3 500x500
Al sheet
25 mm
Al foam 2.0 500x500
Test apparatus for vibration
damping measurements

Impact hammer
with force
Acceleration sensor
sensor

Tested
panel
 Frequency Response Curves
After Impact by Hammer
3 mm Al-sheet; Weight:1,9 kg 5 mm Al-Sheet; Weight: 3,3 kg 25 mm Al-Foam panel; Weight: 2 kg

1600
Inertance a/F (ms-2/N)

1400

1200
-2

1000

800

600

400

200

0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

Frequency (Hz)
Damping of vibration after impact by hammer
as measured by surface accelerometer
300
3 mm Al-sheet; Weight:1,9 kg
200

Acceleration a [ms-2]
100
0
0 50 100 150 200 250
-100
-200
-300
-400
Time (ms)
300
5 mm Al-Sheet; Weight: 3,3 kg
200
Acceleration a [ms-2]

100

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
-100

-200

-300
Time (ms)
150
25 mm Al-Foam panel; Weight: 2 kg
100
Acceleration a (ms-2)

50

0
0 50 100 150 200 250
-50

-100

-150
Time (ms)
Damping factor (decay) of 25 mm Al foam
panel vs. 3 mm and 5 mm Al sheets

3 mm Al-sheet; Weight:1,9 kg 5 mm Al-Sheet; Weight: 3,3 kg 25 mm Al-Foam panel; Weight: 2 kg

1,4E-02
Decay - Damping factor Eta (-)

1,2E-02

1,0E-02

8,0E-03

6,0E-03

4,0E-03

2,0E-03

0,0E-03

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Frequency (Hz)
Aluminum Foam Blast Testing
 Blast Loading of Aluminum Foam Panels
Test Configuration (18 in. x 18 in. test area)

Front plate 1/8 inch thick steel

Al Foam panel 2 inch thick Al-7Si 20% density
Back plate 1/4 inch thick steel
Loading Conditions Explosive: 1 kg PETN

Standoff distance Blast Test Results

2 meter No noticeable damage to foam or steel

0.5 meter 50% deformation of foam

No back plate deflection
0.1 meter 60-80% deformation and fracture of foam
Steel plates deformed but not perforated
Blast test panels after exposure to detonation
of 1 kg PETN at 0.1 m standoff distance

Left: Front steel sheet 1/8 in. thick

Center: Aluminum foam
Right: Back steel plate - 1/4 in. thick
 Compressive plastic deformation and fracture
of aluminum foam exposed to 1 kg PETN explosive
at 0.1 m standoff

Aluminum experienced up to 70-80%

compressive strain in local regions under
1/8 in. thick steel front cover sheet
Aluminum Foam Sandwich Panels
Low-density Al alloy closed cell foam cores
Al foam cores metallurgically bonded to Al
alloy face sheets
Sandwich geometry provides very high
stiffness-to-weight and strength-to-weight
ratios
Available in panel sizes up to 48 x 96 x 0.35
to 4 inch thick
 Aluminum Foam Sandwich
panels in various thicknesses
Unfoamed AFS precursor sheets
3100 x 1100 x 2.5 mm
AFS

AFS plate
1000x1000x30 0,5
 As-fabricated
AFS Panel

6082 face sheets Face

sheet
2 mm thick

10 AlSi6Cu6 foam diffusio

diffusio
mm
core 30 mm n nzone
zone

Diffusion zone

Optical micrographs
of polished cross section
AFS heavy plates
Aluminum Foam Sandwich Panels
Current AFS panels size: 1350 x 1700 x 9 to 80 mm
thick (53 x 67 x 0.35 to 3.15 in. thick)
AFS panel size to be available during 4th Qtr 2007:
1350 x 2500 x 9 to 100 mm thick
(53 x 98 x 0.35 to 4 in. thick)
AFS panel sizes to be available during 1st Qtr 2008:
1500 x 3000 x 9 to 40 mm thick
(59 x 118 x 0.35 to 1.6 in. thick) and
1500 x 2500 x 40 to 100 mm thick
(59 x 98 x 1.6 to 4 in. thick)
Aluminum Foam Sandwich Panels

Aluminum alloy face sheet thickness:

0.6 to 20 mm (0.025 to 0.8 in.)

Aluminum alloy foam core thickness:

8 to 100 mm (0.32 to 4 in.)
AFS Panel Face Sheet Alloys
Al 1050 Al99.5
Al 3103 AlMn1
Al 5005 AlMg1
Al 5083 AlMg4.5Mn
Al 5754 AlMg3
Al 6060 AlMgSi0.5
Al 6082 AlMgSi1
AFS Panel Foam Core Alloys
AlSi7
AlSi12
AlSiMg
AlSi6Cux,
where x = 4, 6, 10%
 Specific Bending Stiffness of
Aluminum Foam Sandwich Panels
90

Specific Bending Stiffness vs. Panel Height

Spec. Bending Stiffness, (N mm /kg *10 )
4

80
td2 Ek td2 h
3

( h t d ) + +
2
Ed 2
70 E I 3 6 td Nmm 3
=

3

m h kg
4 d + k 1
60 2td
AFS
50 Faces t=1mm
Foam density 0.3
40

Steel
30

I * E E h2
Nmm 3
20 Aluminum =
m 12 kg

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Height, h (mm)
Calculated Weight Savings Using Aluminum Foam
Sandwich Panels for Equivalent Stiffness

Weight Savings Using AFS Panels

% Weight
Panel Type Weight AFS Weight Savings
11 gage steel 46.39 13.42 71 %
14 gage steel 28.99 11.09 62 %
18 gage steel 20.73 9.96 52 %
Extruded Al
Channel 10.64 6.26 41 %
 Vibration damping of AFS vs.
Steel and aluminum
1.6

1.4 Aluminum Foam Sandwich

3
Density 0.9 g/cm
1.2
4 3
Spec. bending stiffness 41.5 [10 N mm /kg]
1
Damping, (%)

0.8
Steel
0.6 3
Density 7.85 g/cm
4 3
0.4 Spec. bending stiffness 0.21 [10 N mm /kg]

Aluminum
0.2
3
Density 2.7 g/cm
0 4 3
Spec bending stiffness 2 5 [10 N mm /kg]
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Frequency, (Hz)
Joining Methods for AFS Panels

Welding of cover sheets

Bolts and screws

Rivets

Adhesive bonding
MIG Welding of AFS-Beam

MIG Welding
 Welding of AFS

Cube 500x500x500
AFS 0,75/13,5/0,75
Core density 0,28 g/cm3
 AFS panels can be formed after
foaming to produce closed edges
|

Life cycle tests of AFS truck crane

c
boom

Cyclic multiaxial
loading
100 kN (vertical)
14 kN (sideways)

Req. N=40,000

Result: No cracks
after more than
N=100,000 cycles

:
 Potential Defense Applications
High energy absorption
Very high specific stiffness
Blast mitigation
Electromagnetic shielding
Vibration damping
Fire resistant
Recyclable

Alulight produces foam panels and 3-D parts

as well as semi-finished components to
customer requirements
as demanded by specific threats