Aluminium foam plates to cut weight of ships

For an average sized cargo vessel with a capacity of 7,000m3 this corresponds to a weight reduction of more than 1,000 tonnes.

The experiment is part of an EU research project called CREATING, which was set up to strengthen the position of inland shipping. Researchers at Fraunhofer were able to produce a metal made up of aluminium and titanium hydride powder that is lighter than water, foams when heated and has a high stiffness even under extreme pressure.

This compound, when used to make large aluminium foam sandwich plates, could eventually replace steel plates of a vessel. The powder is initially pressed into bars, which are then placed between two steel sheets and heated in an oven at approximately 650°C. At this extreme temperature, the material expands and bonds with the steel sheets, without the help of any adhesives. According to researchers, the material doesn’t even break under high stress, it only deforms, meaning that a vessel could navigate through ice sheets.

It is thought that this new development could revolutionise the future of freight transportation. For shipping companies, a lighter ship means bigger payload, less trips, less fuel consumption and less CO2 emissions. Powered by LNG fuelled engines means it will also avoid oil pollution in case of an accident.