Manufacturing and low-velocity impact response of a new composite material: Metal porous polymer composite (MPPC)

Three types of metal porous polymer composite (MPPC) were produced by infiltrating different polymers into a porous Al structure. This type of interpenetrating microstructure allows for a better combination of mechanical and physical properties. The low velocity impact response of these composites was investigated by conducting drop-weight impact tests. Impact parameters such as the peak load, the time to peak load, the deflection at peak load, and the absorbed energy were evaluated and compared for Al, MPPC and pure Al foam. The influence of the volume fraction of polymer was also investigated for the above impact parameters. The experimental results indicate that the inlaid polymer has a very important positive effect on the impact behavior and improves the characteristics of the composite in comparison with conventional foam and pure Al.