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Scientists of Togliatti State University (TSU) have developed a unique method for producing porous materials from magnesium and its alloys. The Federal Service for Intellectual Property has issued a patent for the invention.

Low weight and high strength, as well as excellent damping properties* are the main advantages of foam metals, which at the same time retain all the advantages of the source material. TSU scientists are holders of 14 patents for inventions on the subject of porous and composite materials based on them.

The experimental work carried out by them earlier made it possible to obtain porous aluminum, copper, nickel and even steel. Another development is a method for producing porous materials from magnesium and its alloys. This metal has the lowest density and high damping properties compared to other structural metals, which makes it very attractive for industry.

- Magnesium is difficult to work with metallurgically, it has a low ignition temperature, but it is a very promising material. Our method allows us to obtain a light porous metal, the density of which is lower than the density of water. This foam material has a high specific strength, it better dampens the impact energy during a collision, mechanical vibrations, for example, vibration, " explains Alexander Kovtunov, professor of the Department of Welding, Pressure Processing of Materials and Related Processes at the TSU Institute of Mechanical Engineering.

The essence of the method is that the heated magnesium alloy is poured into a mold with granules of sodium chloride. After solidification, the casting is leached by placing it in a 5-35% aqueous solution of acetic acid. The granules dissolve, and the magnesium casting forms a porous structure.

- The presence of acetic acid allows you to get a clean surface of the finished material without traces of interaction with sodium chloride from the granules, and also reduces the rate of magnesium corrosion in the resulting salt solution and ensures the dissolution of corrosion products in the solvent – says Alexander Kovtunov.

The advantage of the technology is its simplicity, the ability to produce both simple and complex shaped castings, low cost, as well as fairly high productivity. The method proposed by TSU scientists also makes it possible to obtain porous magnesium with a controlled pore size, both with homogeneous and heterogeneous porosity.

In October 2020, the authors of the invention filed an application with the Federal Service for Intellectual Property and in June 2021 received a patent for the development.

Magnesium foam materials can be used in the aerospace and automotive industries, where it is of great importance to reduce the weight of the structure while maintaining its strength. As Alexander Kovtunov noted, manufacturers of aviation components have already become interested in the new technology.

* Damping — an increase in energy losses in the system in order to increase the attenuation of vibrations in it.

Photo: penomagnium

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