Deformation of open-cell aluminum foam

The mechanical properties of high-purity aluminum foams produced by replication from salt precursors are measured in compression. These foams have homogeneous open-porosity, cell sizes equivalent to the particle size of the precursor salt (∼500 μm in this case) and relative densities near 25%. Deformation is uniform and strain hardening similar to the bulk material is observed without a plateau stress. A simple analytical model based on beam theory is employed to describe the flow stress and the change in stiffness of the foams as a consequence of compression. This model leads to a modified scaling law for the flow stress of metallic foams.