Flexible die as reinforcement for aluminum foam samples

The aim of the present activity was the manufacturing of enhanced closed-cell aluminum foam based samples for industrial applications such as security systems in the automotive field (e.g., anti-intrusion bars); as reinforcement, that also constitutes a flexible die, a stainless steel wire mesh was considered. The Powder Compact Melting technique was used for producing cylindrical samples, starting from a commercial foam precursor and replacing the conventional dies by the wire mesh, the last with the additional effect of foam reinforcement. Quasi-static compression and three-point bending tests were performed to determine the mechanical behavior of these reinforced and lightweight samples, in order to compare their properties with the ones of plain foam samples. Finally, a component with a complex geometry was manufactured, aiming to evaluate the chance to use the proposed flexible dies as metal foam reinforcements in many instances.