ABSTRACT
Solid foams are light weight cellular materials inspired by nature. Wood, bones or sea sponges are some well known exemplars. In fact, solid metallic foam structures are the conserved image of the corresponding liquid metallic foam. Applications of metal foams are strongly linked to the properties which such kind of materials can offer and especially to those which are excellent or even unique. The mechanical properties of metal foams are, of course, correlated to the ones of the bulk phase metal, but in a reduced manner. The dominating factors here are the density and the structure itself. There is a wide range of functional properties of metal foams originating from their cellular character. Depending on the desired performance and manufacturing feasibility, different production methods are considered. A diagram of costs related to material density and modulus for different bulk and foamed metals can be found in the literature, although the given prices are not the actual prices anymore.
