Applications depend on properties, and the excellent properties of foamed metals determine their wide range of applications.
At present, some of the properties of foam metal have been applied in Japan. For example, the sound-absorbing properties of aluminum foam are used in the power generation room of the Hokkaido Tourist Train, the noise-reducing devices in factories, the seats of the JR Shinkansen trains make use of the composite structure of aluminum foam, and the unique decorative properties of the foam surfaces are also used in the construction industry.
Through-hole foam metals are used as filtration materials, heat exchangers, filters and catalyst carriers, as well as electrode materials.
Foamed metals will play an important role in the transportation industry. For example, in the automobile industry, due to the increasing need for safety, comfort and environmental protection, the weight of automobiles is gradually increasing, which correspondingly increases fuel costs. The use of light and rigid foam metal structures will help to reduce the weight of automobiles.
The energy-absorbing property of foam metal can control the deformation in the collision of automobiles and trains, and this property can also be used as a shock absorber for the protection of truck seats, column seats that are easily twisted and compressed, and other parts.
In automobile manufacturing, the muffler material is both sound insulation and heat resistance is also a very prominent problem, the use of through-hole foam metal can be a good solution, do not have to use, for example, aluminum and polymerization of foam combination of some of the combination of materials. The noise reduction and sound absorption of foam metal can protect the environment.
Foam metal also has a wide range of uses in the construction industry, where it is very helpful in reducing the energy consumption of elevators. Modern elevators, due to their high frequency of acceleration and deceleration, utilize lightweight construction as an advantageous method.
In the construction industry, it is also possible to utilize the pre-fabricated properties of foam metal by the powder foaming method. For example, in the concrete wall fixed socket, before plugging into the socket, first a piece of prefabricated aluminum into the hole, and then heated to make it expand, if the density of the foam aluminum is large enough to generate the foam will make the socket and the concrete tightly linked.
Foam metal also has some special uses, for example: to gold, silver as the base of the foam metal looks beautiful, to gold, silver as the base of the foam metal looks beautiful, can be considered as a potential new material for jewelry; steel, titanium and other metal foam technology development, so that the material can be used to high temperature, high strength and other properties, such as titanium foam because of its strong material adaptability can be used for prosthetics.
Foam metal can be cut and pressure processing, can be bonded and pressed to make a wider range of uses such as sandwich structures.
Since the development of foam metal, significant progress has been made in the preparation process, but it is only limited to the scope of the laboratory, and has not fully met the needs of industrial applications, and the corresponding basic theoretical research also has many deficiencies.
In the future, the development of foam metal should firstly strengthen the basic research, and guide the development of the preparation process through the basic research of multidisciplinary penetration, and at the same time, pay attention to the combination of basic research, preparation and application, so that the performance of foam metal can be fully and widely used, and make contributions to the development of the society and the progress of science.
