Synthesis of open-celled metal foams by replication technique

Open-celled metal foams were synthesized using a replication technique. Therefore a reticulated polyurethane template was coated by a slurry and removed thermally, followed by a sintering step. Since the process is feasible for a multiplicity of metals the experiments were performed on the example of stainless steel 316L. Highly porous components were obtained showing densities between 0.3 and 0.8 g/cm(exp 3). The cell structure is exceedingly homogeneous with the cell sizes being adjustable in the range of 10-80 ppi. In order to characterise the properties, compression tests, permeability, and acoustical measurements were carried out. A significant influence of the density as well the cell size on strength, airflow and sound absorption properties was noticed.