Potential of PM Foams for use in Lightweight Load Bearing Structures of Future Vehicles

摘要

PM-route is nowadays the most promising technique for the manufacturing of net shape components from aluminium foam. This possibility offers the variety of realistic applications of this extremely lightweight material also in transport industry, especially for shaped structural panels or for stiffening of complex hollow parts (such as hydroformed profiles or castings). The use of aluminium foam allows the distribution of load-bearing material in most convenient way according to loading conditions, without need to increase the overall weight or volume of the component. Utilisation of aluminium foam cores in hollow profiles or castings increases the capability to absorb crash energy in multiple impact directions and reduces the noise and vibration of initially hollow parts. Application of PM foams in load-bearing parts of future cars is a real challenge for PM-industry because of enormous potential market for such components (several thousand tons per year).