Petersburg University develops technology to make porous aluminium alloys

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) has developed a technology that can produce porous aluminium alloy that can float.  In this process, foaming gas is added into liquid aluminium during re-melting process. According to the SPbPU's update the porous materials can increase stiffness and sound and heat insulating proprieties. According to the developers this technology can be successfully used in aluminium shipbuilding to achieve unsinkability during leaks in the hull.

"A high porosity level can be used to decrease the density of structural elements, e.g. sheets. The density can be decreased even lower than the density of water. Resulting structural elements would be unsinkable. And its usage in shipbuilding will ensure unsinkability even with a leak in the hull," says Oleg Panchenko, one of the scientists in this project and the deputy head of the Laboratory of Light Materials and Structures SPbPU.

The technology is beneficial for thin materials which cannot be manipulated or joined without deformation. When the material like aluminium is made porous, it becomes possible to increase the thickness, while keeping the lightweight and stiffening the structure.

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Researchers could produce homogeneous and heterogeneous distribution of pores in the material through this technology. The aluminium alloy can be made either porous if necessary or with nonporous thickening or solid structure. Using this technology, double-layer sandwiches may be produced with only one porous side. Increased density can be conferred to selected areas for better joining and welding process.