Mechanical properties of structures of semifinished products joined to aluminium foams

In this work, new construction elements for applications in the transportation industry with high stiffness and energy absorption values, which are based on a combination of commonly applied structures of aluminium semifinished products and aluminium foams are investigated. The work evaluates the mechanical properties of laser beam welded and glued sheet-sandwich structures which were characterised by shear tests under tensile loading and four-point bend tests. In addition, compression tests on different aluminium tubes partially and completely filled with aluminium foam have been carried out. In order to evaluate the influence of the joining process on the filled components, the results are compared to structures where the foam is fixed by interference fitting. The results of this work show a strong motivation for further research on the properties of structures of semifinished products and aluminium foam.