A METALLIC FOAM MATERIAL

• Main Author: CARE, IAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 12.11.2014
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; ALLOYS; APPARATUS THEREFOR; CHEMISTRY; ELECTROFORMING; ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTIONOF COATINGS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The invention provides a metallic foam material with better mechanical properties than known foamed materials, and a method of making such a material. Although known foamed metals are light in weight, and sandwich structures formed of such materials can be formed into structural components, the tendency for the structure to crush and fracture under compressive loading, with consequent crack propagation, limits their use in applications in which the integrity of the component is important. The invention addresses this problem by providing a fibre-reinforced foam that combines the tensile strength of a high strength fibre such as carbon fibres with the impact resistance (through crushing and deformation) of metallic foam. The metal foam imparts a greater strength to the carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics (CFRP) part of the structure than it would have by itself. Under tensile loads, the fibre reinforcement gives the metallic foam enhanced strength and low creep.