Preparation of foamed aluminum and its application in China

Abstract

Abstract As a new structural material combined with functional characteristics, aluminum foam possesses low density, high specific surface area and stiffness, good sound and energy absorption, as well as excellent electromagnetic shielding. Among the preparation ways which can be used to fabricate aluminum foam, the methods, such as direct foaming in aluminum melt, melt foaming by gas injection, powder metallurgy route and casting around space holder materials, may be the main ones. The R & D of the methods above in China is discussed in this paper. Aluminum foams have been exploited in road noise barrier, buildings, rail transit vehicles, aerospace and bridge protection in China nowadays. The applications of aluminum foams obtained by some methods are also emphatically described. It is speculated that the application fields and amount of the aluminum foams may be increased in the future along with the further development of Chinese economy.