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Metal foams an excellent low-carbon material
21/10/09
Edited by Andy Jowett. In order to develop a low-carbon economy, builders, architects and engineers will have to adopt new materials and according to one expert, metal foams could be at the forefront of the drive to greater sustainability.
Writing for sustainable design site thequietriot.com, Dr. Sascha Peters of haute innovation in Berlin said metal foams consist of between 80 to 90 per cent air and ten to 20 per cent metal.
They look "soft, light and airy" but are in fact very rigid, he noted. This makes them an "excellent" material for lightweight construction.
In addition, metal foams are ideal for commercial and residential property because of their sound and heat absorption. Furthermore, the foam's large internal structure can be used for air filtering in polluted urban environments, Dr. Peters said.
Until recently, metal foams had been produced using an expensive casting process but a new powder-metallurgical moulding process developed by Dresden-based Hollomet GmbH could cut production costs and lead to the wider adoption of the foams by designers and builders.
"Metal foams and their innovative applications offer huge opportunities for engineers, designers and architects," Dr. Peters noted.
