Compressive properties of aluminium matrix syntactic foams

Two types of metal matrix syntactic foams (MMSFs) were produced by pressure infiltration from the combination of technical purity aluminium (Al99.5) and two ceramic hollow sphere grades. The MMSFs were investigated by compression tests; the compressive strength, the fracture strain, the structural stiffness and the absorbed mechanical energy were registered as characterizing properties. The parameters of the investigations were the size of the hollow spheres and the aspect ratio of the specimens. The recorded compressive engineering stress–engineering strain diagrams could be divided into five sections and the results showed that the smaller hollow spheres ensured better mechanical properties and higher absorbed energy. According to the tests three different failure modes of the MMSFs were separated.