Aluminum foam has a wide range of applications in the automotive and transportation industries because of its lightweight structure, energy absorption, noise control and other superior properties. Automobiles are increasingly developing in the direction of light weight, low energy consumption, and greater safety and comfort, which requires the use of materials with low density, good overall performance, and high recycling rate. The EU’s Bright Europe program is to study the application of aluminum foam materials in automobiles. The use of aluminum foam material components, the stiffness of the automobile frame has been strengthened, so that the frame stability can be increased by 30%. Automobile manufacturer Germany Karmann AG has chosen to foam aluminum sandwich plate manufacturing car roof and floor, its stiffness than the original steel components 7 times higher than the quality of the steel is 25% lighter; with the foam aluminum sandwich plate manufacturing car floor, the quality of each square meter than the steel floor to reduce about 50%. Australia’s light metal performance research center (LKR) and Germany’s BMW (BMW) company jointly developed a foam aluminum structure of the engine bracket, in order to improve the high quality of bearing the engine at the same time, but also can dissipate mechanical vibration and heat, its anti-shock vibration capacity and safety have been improved.
Foam aluminum material to absorb impact energy performance is strong, by the collision of plastic deformation, to absorb the impact of the imposed load, can effectively protect the vehicle and the safety of the occupants. Quality of 1500kg car to 48km / h speed collision, the impact area according to 1000mm × 150mm, the thickness of 20mm calculation, then the foam aluminum can absorb all the impact energy of 84%.
BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Hyundai and other automobile companies are developing foam aluminum material car bumper, some companies have passed the crash test. Foam aluminum material heat-resistant, flame retardant, in the heat state will not release toxic gases, so the use of foam aluminum material to replace the foam or foam resin material, can improve service life, reduce maintenance, but also eliminates the traditional materials in vehicle accidents produced by harmful gases, greatly reducing traffic accidents in the loss of damage and casualties, but also played a role in environmental protection.
Aluminum foam can also be used to make soundproof screens next to urban railways and viaducts. Internationally recognized as the ideal sound insulation screen, close to the noise source side of the sound-absorbing function, the whole has a sound insulation function. The best sound insulation screen is made of aluminum foam material, the outer side of the aluminum plate veneer, the inner side of the bare surface of the foam aluminum plate, with sound-absorbing function, sound insulation can be 20 ~ 30dB. semi-cylindrical Alporas foam aluminum and steel back or concrete back of the sound-absorbing device has been developed and applied to highway bridges, the subway’s noise control.
