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Ultra-lightweight metal foams are an emerging class of new engineering materials that can be tailored to have a very attractive combination of properties. Aluminum foams produced by Fraunhofer's powder metallurgy process show significant promise as multi-functional materials for a broad range of transportation applications. Their light weight and very high specific stiffness offer significant potential for vehicle weight reduction. The high energy absorption capabilities of aluminum foams can provide improved crash energy management. The range of materials properties that can be achieved using aluminum foams in various configurations and in combination with other structural materials are discussed. Current and potential future applications of aluminum foams in autos, trucks, and military vehicles for weight reduction, increased fuel efficiency, and improved mobility are also described.

Aluminum metal foams are a newly developed ultra-light weight material with the ability to count for tremendous weight savings, especially in automotive applications. The P/M foaming process allows the production of two different types of components: complex shaped parts and metal foam sandwich panels. Foaming inside a mold can produce complex net-shaped parts. Examples are inserts for bumpers, pillars, or others. The metal foam sandwich process has the main advantage of enabling not only flat panels, but also true 3-dimensional shapes by e.g. deep drawing or other forming processes prior to the foaming. Valuable properties of metal foams for automotive applications are the crush energy absorption behavior and the high stiffness. The presentation reviews the properties of metal foams with respect to automotive applications.