The Manufacture and Characterisation of Reinforced Magnesium Foams

Abstract

In the project introduced here, the manufacture of light‐metal foams based on magnesium are investigated and enhanced. Such foams possess an excellent mass‐volume ratio and are therefore perfectly suited as light and effective reinforcing elements. Apart from other functional properties, their suitability as energy absorbing crash elements is to be particularly emphasised and is the focus of the investigations here. In the case of impact loading, the energy is largely transformed into the work of plastic deformation during a reduction in volume. Although metallic foams themselves possess only low absolute strengths, it is expedient to employ them in the form of material combinations like sandwich structures or composites by integrating additional internal reinforcing elements. The latter approach is pursued in the present project. Both the initial results of the feasibility study and also the metallographic and mechanical investigations for characterising reinforced magnesium foams are presented.