Cost Estimation and the Vialibity of Metal Foams

At present all metal foams are produced in small quantities using time and labor-intensive methods, and all, relative to the solid metals from which they derive, are expensive. Thus, one may ask if metal foams are viable. By viable a favorable balance between performance and cost is meant. Viability is assessed by constructing a value function which includes measures of both performance and cost. It allows ranking of materials by both economic and technical criteria. The authors describe progress in constructing and using cost models for two of the processes by which metal foams are made, and describe their method for assessing the viability of a new material.