ALUHAB is a new type of aluminium foams with controlled, homogeneous cell sizes which has a wide range of alloy compositions, and attractive mechanical properties. The technology results in extremely stable metal foams which can be cast into complex forms and re-melted without loss of foam integrity. ALUHAB aluminium foams are manufactured from aluminium alloy containing ultrafine particles (typically below 3μm). Special high temperature admixing technology is used in order to homogeneously disperse the particles and thus create a stable, foamable aluminium melt. Our unique loud-nozzle technology permits the injection of bubbles with optimal size which can vary between 0.5mm and 5mm. CT imaging, different analytical techniques and mechanical tests were used to characterize the influence of the alloy composition and the cell structure on the compression properties. Our recent pilot plant technology is capable to produce 100kg/day aluminium foam block of maximum 200mm width and the thickness can be varied from 20mm to 50mm

The influence of the matrix material on the deformation and failure mechanisms in metal matrix syntactic foams was investigated in this study. Samples with commercially pure Al (Al) and Al-12 wt % Si (AlSi12) eutectic aluminum matrix, reinforced by hollow ceramic spheres, were compressed at room temperature. Concurrently, the acoustic emission response and the strain field development on the surface were monitored in-situ. The results indicate that the plastic deformation of the cell walls is the governing mechanism in the early stage of straining for both types of foams. At large stresses, deformation bands form both in the Al and AlSi12 foam. In Al foam, cell walls collapse in a large volume. In contrast, the AlSi12 foam is more brittle; therefore, the fracture of precipitates and the crushing of the matrix take place within a distinctive deformation band, along with an occurrence of a significant stress drop. The onset stress of ceramic sphere failure was shown to be not influenced by the matrix material. The in-situ methods provided complementary data which further support these results.