Development of aluminium foam armours in the vehicle industry

The project concerns research and development related to the protection industry use of sandwich panels containing aluminium foam and ceramic sheets for the automotive industry.

The new protection panel material to be developed in the framework of the project may replace the metal-ceramic sandwich structures used today.

The following partners participate in the project:

Aluinvent Zrt, a Hungarian SME with leading aluminium foam technologies and production lines, as well as significant R&D&I potential and testing equipment. Aluinvent is going to cooperate with the College of Kecskemét (currently John von Neumann University) in the field of processing technologies, polymer matrix composite development and FEM modeling. Aluinvent is going to carry out explosion tests with Detonet Kft., ballistic tests with Polgári Kézilőfegyver- és Lőszervizsgáló Kft (Civil Firearm and Ammunition Testing Kft). Aluinvent is responsible for research concerning binding technologies, surface treatment, processing technologies and testing methods.

PAXIS, a leading Israeli SME, developing and producing special ceramics. PAXIS has ample experience in developing and producing complex protection material for unique and customized use. Technion’s Israel Institute of Metals (IIM), as a partner of PAXIS, will be responsible for planning hybrid material structures and adhesion bonding, as well as for the destruction mechanism of block layers, to provide the produced sandwich materials with adequate structural integrity and optimal effective protection. PAXIS will be charged with experimental development and prototype production.

The use of aluminium foam is expected to significantly improve the absorption of explosion energy, since the aluminium foam, due to its structure, is able to transform the high kinetic energy of the explosion or the bullet (splinter) into deformation energy.