Welding of hybrid metallic materials with metal foamed core

Hybrid Metallic Materials produced by using of metallic foam allows prototypal production of especial mechanical components. Applications have been designed both for structural mechanical parts filled with closed cells aluminium foams in order to increase impact energy absorption, stiffness and vibration dumping or for multifunctional applications where open celled aluminium foam have been used for light weight design, improved strength, heat exchange enhancement. The limits for foamed components industrial applications are determined mainly by manufacturing processes and by some designer's reluctance to use this material until full reliability into mechanical characteristics will be satisfied. Present work will show results pertaining to a wide experimental activity which is composed of different phase: first of all the production of a composite materials by filling steel tubes with aluminum closed cell foam, secondly welding of such a composite material by Laser or Gas Metal Arc Welding and as a conclusive phase characterization of welded Hybrid Metallic Materials has been realized. Besides a numerical simulation of the performances of the composite components by using a known commercial software packages has been implemented in preliminary forms due to the fact that simulation of Welded Hybrid Metallic Materials with Metal Foamed Core still results a challenging activity due to numerous boundary conditions to be modeled. Several suggestions have been resulted from the experimental activity in order to improve each phase of the welded composite materials production.