Effect of preform on the compressive behavior and energy absorption performance of hollow glass microsphere/aluminum composites

Hollow glass microsphere/aluminum (HGM/Al) composites were fabricated via the vacuum pressure infiltration technique, wherein ZL101 Al melt was infiltrated into a porous preform with HGMs serving as the reinforcing skeleton. The effects of HGM preform preparation process on the microstructure, compressive mechanical behavior, and energy absorption performance of the composites were systematically investigated through quasi-static and dynamic compression tests. The results demonstrated that the HGM preform can effectively resist the adverse effects induced by viscous flow and momentum impact of Al melt on HGMs during the infiltration process, thereby improving the uniformity of the composite’s microstructure and properties. When the HGM preform was sintered at 620 °C for 150 min, the microspheres exhibited a favorable bonding effect and maintained high shell integrity. Under quasi-static (0.001 s⁻¹) and dynamic (5500 s⁻¹) strain rates, the composite achieved peak stresses of 115.96 MPa and 131.93 MPa, plateau stresses of 86.41 MPa and 117.75 MPa, specific energy absorption values of 45.33 MJ/kg and 51.02 MJ/kg, respectively, making it a lightweight material with outstanding energy absorption performance.