Thermal and permeability properties of metal Aluminum foams for functional applications

To determine the coefficients of permeability and thermal conductivity of aluminum metal foams, thermal transference and pressure drop tests were carried out. Metal foam samples measuring 50 mm in diameter and 20 mm in thickness with pore sizes ranging between 0.5 and 2.0 mm were used for both tests. An adaptation in a fluid flow system was made to perform the pressure drop tests, and Darcy’s law was used to calculate the permeability values. A thermal box test and Fourier’s law were used to obtain the conductivity coefficients. The results showed that the pore size has an important influence on the values of permeability and thermal conductivity. Finally, the results were compared with those reported by other researchers and were found to be consistent with those found in previous work. Our interest is to enhance knowledge regarding aluminum metal foams and show their potential use in applications that involve fluid flow and heat transfer.