Hot Metal Gas Forming of Closed-Cell Aluminum Foam Sandwich Panels

Metal foams are an interesting group of lightweight materials, which have appropriate physical, mechanical, thermal, electrical and acoustic properties for various engineering applications. Currently, metal foams are often manufactured in the shape of its final geometry through the casting process and by applying foaming agents. As a result, their use is limited in the complex geometries. In this paper, the forming of square aluminum foam sandwich panels at elevated temperatures is investigated, when applying gas pressure. These sandwich panels have two upper and lower layers of aluminum sheet and a mid-layer of closed-cell aluminum foam. The effect of process parameters, including gas temperature and pressure and process time, on the sandwich panel products has been experimentally investigated. The results show that if the temperature is increased, the failure is postponed, and less pressure is required. Furthermore, at higher temperatures and pressures, the bulged sections of the sandwich panel experience a noticeable local thinning percentage.