Joining of AL-6016 to Al-foam using Zn-based joining materials

To obtain an Aluminium Foam Sandwich (AFS), Al-6016 sheets were successfully joined to a 9 mm thick Aluminium (Al) foam, by using Zinc (Zn) based joining materials (pure Zn and Zn alloy with 2% Al) at 430 °C in argon atmosphere. The microstructure of the joints was analysed by Optical Microscope (OM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, three-point bending tests were carried out to evaluate the flexural properties of the AFS components. Current experimental work is focused on optimization of the AFS joining process and the mechanical properties of AFS components.