Manufacturing of Innovative Components Formed Using SPF Processes and Filled with Aluminium Metal Foams

This work is part of scientific studies that have the wider aim of producing components for aerospace industrial applications such as the realization of complex geometry using innovative technologies. The aim of this paper is to verify the technological feasibility of the manufacturing of components formed using Super Plastic Forming (hereinafter called SPF) processes and filled with aluminium foam. The component under investigation is composed by an outer layer in thin sheet of titanium alloy, formed by SPF technology, and a core in aluminium foam manufactured by the powder compact melting technique. Drop weight impact tests have been carried out to the aim to estimate the improvement of the innovative component in terms of energy absorption compared to the sum of the single constituents. The results have showed significant improvements in the energy absorption capability, proving that the proposed concept is technically promising.