Joining of Al-Foam to Plate in Sandwich Structures

Structural sandwich beams are widely used because of their high specific stiffness and strength, noise reduction, thermal insulation and impact energy absorption characteristics. Conventional manufacturing method of composite sandwich structures is completed by a separate adhesive joining stage by which the composite faces are joined to the core. In this investigation, liquid phase sintering in the Al-Zn alloy system was used in order to form a diffusion bond between metallic foam and plate. Joining treatment was conducted at 610 oC for 30 minutes in an inert atmosphere. The shear strength of the joint was measured to be about 4.8 kPa.