A comprehensive study on using expanded silica gel size as hollow sphere material in different aluminum alloy-based syntactic foams

PurposeMetal foams are a structural and functional composite materials that have received wide attention due to their specific structures and properties. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanical properties of syntactic foam by using expanded silica gel with the spacer technique.Design/methodology/approachIn this research paper, the vacuum casting production method was used to produce metal syntactic foams including AlSi12 and AlSi8Cu3 matrix and expanded silica gel fillers with diameters of 2–4.75 mm and 4.75–5.6 mm.FindingsAs a result of the study, it was observed that as the foam densities increased, the compressive strength values of the samples increased due to the increasing volume fraction of the metallic matrix. Samples with the AlSi12 matrix showed higher compressive strength than samples with the AlSi8Cu3 matrix.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is the comparison of two different main matrix alloys (AlSi12 and AlSi8Cu3) and different pores using expanded silica gel.