A Novel Sandwich Aluminum Foam Composite Reinforced with Steel Prepared by Arc Spraying

Aluminum foam exhibits excellent energy-absorption properties; however, the low stiffness of the material restricts its use as a standalone structural component. To address this limitation, arc spraying technology is employed to create an aluminum foam composite structure. By depositing molten steel droplets onto the aluminum foam surface, a reinforced composite structure of aluminum foam/steel is formed. The sprayed steel droplets effectively fill the pores present on the surface of the aluminum foam, creating a local interlocking effect. The hardness of the steel deposition coating ranges from 400 to 500 HV, which surpasses that of the aluminum foam by more than 400%. In both three-point bending and compression experiments, the high-hardness steel deposition layer significantly improved bending strength and compression resistance of the composite structure. Additionally, a gradient-performance structure is designed based on varying coating thicknesses to achieve segmental directional deformation failure within the structural components.