The deformation and failure mechanisms in syntactic foams with different metal matrices were investigated in this study. The syntactic foams were produced by the infiltration method using lightweight expanded clay particles (LECA) as a space holder and commercially pure Al or eutectic Al-12%Si alloy for the matrices.
The samples were compressed at room temperature; simultaneously, the acoustic emission (AE) response and the surface deformation were monitored and collated with the deformation curves.