Mechanical properties of 17-4PH stainless steel foam panels

Rectangular 17-4PH stainless steel sandwiched foam panels were fabricated using a commercial manufacturing technique by brazing two sheets to a foam core. Microstructural observations of the panels revealed large variations in the quality of the brazed areas from one panel to the next as well as within the same panel. Shear tests conducted on specimens machined from the panels exhibited failures either at poorly brazed face sheet–foam core interfaces or within foam cores of well-bonded specimens. Compression tests were conducted on the foam cores to evaluate their elastic and plastic deformation behavior. These data were compared with published data on polymeric and metallic foams, and with theoretical deformation models proposed for open cell foams.