Nano nickel strengthened open cell metal foams under quasistatic and dynamic loading

Abstract
Metal foams are a relatively new class of materials which shows interesting behavior in the field of energy absorption. The mechanical behaviour of open cell aluminium foams with coatings of different metals have been investigated under quasi-static and dynamic compression loading in order to enhance the energy absorption capability. Nanocrystalline nickel offered the best performance for the purpose of enhanced energy dissipation during compressive loading under the investigated coating metals. The effect of coating thickness and pore size was studied by slow and fast quasi-static compression tests and as well as by dynamic compression tests with a split-Hopkinson-pressure-bar (SHPB). There was a linear increase in energy absorption capability with coating thickness for the absolute values and per foam thickness but per density or mass the energy absorption capability reached a saturation point. So there is an optimum in coating thickness.
Under dynamic loading there was also an increase in energy absorption capability by a factor of 10 for a coating thickness of 50 μm in comparison to uncoated foams even at a very small foam thickness of 4 mm.