Metal Foams: A Design Guide

Abstract

11R27. Metal Foams: A Design Guide. - MF Ashby (Eng Dept, Centre for Micromech, Univ of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK), A Evans (Princeton Mat Inst, Princeton Univ, 70 Prospect Ave, Bowen Hall, Princeton NJ 08540), NA Fleck (Eng Dept, Centre for Micromech, Univ of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK), LJ Gibson (Dept of Mat Sci and Eng, MIT, Cambridge, MA), JW Hutchinson (Div of Eng and Appl Sci, Harvard Univ, Oxford St, Cambridge MA 02138), HNG Wadley (Dept of Mat Sci and Eng, Sch of Eng and Appl Sci, Univ of Virginia, Charlottesville VA 22903). Butterworth-Heinemann, Woburn MA. 2000. 251 pp. ISBN 0-7506-7219-6. $75.00. Reviewed by F Delale (Dept of Mech Eng, CCNY, 138th St and Convent Ave, New York NY 10031).Metal foams are a new class of materials with application potential in many areas, especially in the design of lightweight structures. The publication of this book is a timely contribution given the current interest of developing lightweight structures for defense as well as commercial applications. The book is a collaborative effort with contributions from many prominent researchers. It consists of 19 chapters, an Appendix, and an Index. It is a concise treatise in that all this material fits in 251 pages.In the first introductory chapter, metal foams are defined and their potential applications discussed. The next three chapters deal with the making of metal foams, the methods used to characterize them, and the current knowledge about their properties. The authors then proceed to discuss design formulas for simple structures made of metal foams. In the second chapter, a constitutive model for metal foams is presented. The next seven chapters discuss design with metal foams in various applications and under different loading conditions, namely: fatigue, creep, sandwich structures, packaging and blast protection, sound absorption and vibration suppression, and thermal and electrical applications. The cutting, finishing, and joining of foam metals is the subject of the ensuing chapter. In Chapter 17, several case studies are presented. Finally, the book concludes with a listing of metal foam suppliers and of websites related to the subject. As this description indicates, after a brief introduction on the behavior of metal foams, the book is totally dedicated to designing with metal foams. One distinction of this book is that it deals not only with design under mechanical loads, but also with design methodology for other types of loading conditions and phenomena, such as: fatigue, creep, thermal management, sound and vibration, blast protection, etc. The level of mathematics is intentionally kept low to cater to a wider audience. The book is geared toward the practicing engineer, and in that respect, succeeds in fulfilling that goal. Metal Foams: A Design Guide is a worthy addition to the engineering literature, and it is recommended that libraries carry a copy.