Co‐Casting of Al and Al‐Foams

Abstract

The use of metal foams as permanent cores in casting products is a promising strategy. It aims to improve the properties of the cast components by adding certain foam features (e.g., lightweight, high specific stiffness, impact energy/ vibration absorption ability, and good acoustic insulation properties). The use of permanent cores eliminates the steps of removal, treatment, and compulsory recycling for the traditional temporary sand cores. Herein, aluminum metals foams, in the form of bars with a dense continuous outer skin, are inserted in the die of a gravity casting experiment with an Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy (EN AB.46400). Foams and cast objects are characterized by means of optical emission spectrometry (OES), optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), image analysis, and computed tomography (CT).