Researchers Build First Metal Matrix Syntactic Foam Sandwich
Posted on July 17, 2015
Researchers from the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering have built the first metal matrix syntactic foam sandwich. The composite material sandwiches a layer of lightweight metal matrix syntactic foam between two carbon fabric layers. The researchers say this provides an extremely light weight and flexible material that can withstand deformation and absorb energy.
The engineers say the new material could be used to build cars, trains and ships. Conventional metal foams have gas-filled pores within the metal. This reduces the weight of the material but it is not easy for the size and shape of the pores to be controlled during the manufacturing process. The new composite material makes it easier for the pore size to be controlled during manufacturing. The material incorporates porosity in their foam-like structure with hollow particles. The researchers say in their research paper that the syntactic foam core metal matrix sandwich outperforms most of other syntactic foams in terms of energy absorption and compressive strength at comparable density levels. The project was funded by the US Army Research Laboratory.
Nikhil Gupta, a NYU School of Engineering associate professor, is the head of the research team. He says in a statement, "This work could result in a new generation of ships and ground vehicles for both the military and civilian sectors. Trains can also benefit from the lightweight and high energy absorbing panels made possible by the new sandwich composite."
A research paper on the new composite sandwich can be found here in the journal, Materials Science and Engineering: A.