Novel method of fluxless soldering with self-abrasion for fabricating aluminum foam sandwich

• Fluxless soldering with self-abrasion was used to fabricate aluminum foam sandwich.
• Metallic bonding was achieved between aluminum foam and the face sheets.
• The mechanical stirring had multi-positive effect on the soldering seam.
• Fluxless soldering with self-abrasion was suitable for fabricating AFS.

The aluminum foam sandwich (AFS) with metallic bonding was fabricated by means of fluxless soldering with self-abrasion. The effects of abrasion forms on interfacial feature, the deformation and failure behavior of AFS are compared through microstructural observation and static three-point bending tests. The good wetting process was realized assisting with the abrasion. The self-abrasion of aluminum foam produced mechanical stirring to make the microstructure more uniform and reduce the defects of the soldering seam. The load–deflection curve of AFS with metallic bonding exhibited three distinct regions. Three failure modes with indentation, core shear and plastic hinge were identified during the bending tests. An excellent bonding has been informed between aluminum alloy face sheets and aluminum foam core due to the retained cohesion between them. Assisting with self-abrasion, fluxless soldering using a zinc-based alloy has been proven to be suitable for fabricating AFS.