METAL FOAM PANELS AND RELATED MANUFACTURING METHODS

1 . A metal foam panel, comprising:

a first metal cover sheet;

a second metal cover sheet;

metal inserts coupled to insert locators of at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets; and

a metal foam between the first and second metal cover sheets and surrounding corresponding portions of the metal inserts.

2 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein the metal inserts include cylindrical pucks.

3 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein the metal inserts form corresponding fully pierced or semi-pierced insert locators in one or both of the first and second metal cover sheets.

4 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein the first metal cover sheet includes an interior face in contact with the metal foam and an opposite exterior face not in contact with the metal foam, and wherein the second metal cover sheet includes an interior face in contact with the metal foam and an opposite exterior face not in contact with the metal foam.

5 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein the insert locators include cylindrical interior surfaces and the metal inserts include cylindrical exterior surfaces circumscribed by the cylindrical interior surfaces.

6 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein the panel does not include any tape or adhesive to couple the metal inserts to either of the first and second metal cover sheets.

7 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein the panel does not include TIG welds to couple the metal inserts to either of the first and second metal cover sheets.

8 . The metal foam panel of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets includes the insert locators in the form of blind holes or pockets.

9 . An in-process metal foam panel, comprising:

a first metal cover sheet;

a second metal cover sheet;

metal inserts coupled to insert locators of at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets; and

a foam precursor between the first and second metal cover sheets.

10 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets includes the insert locators in the form of apertures through at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets.

11 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 10 , wherein the first metal cover sheet includes some of the insert locators and the second metal cover sheet includes some of the insert locators, and the metal inserts include axially opposite ends that couple to the insert locators in the first and second metal cover sheets.

12 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 10 , wherein the metal inserts include first necks accommodated within insert locators of the first metal cover sheet, first shoulders, insert bodies, second shoulders, and second necks accommodated within insert locators of the second metal cover sheet.

13 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 10 , wherein the metal inserts include first necks, first shoulders, and insert bodies, and at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets includes insert locators corresponding to the first necks of the metal inserts, with the first necks being accommodated within the insert locators.

14 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 10 , wherein the metal inserts have bodies and first ends of the bodies are accommodated within the insert locators of at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets.

15 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 10 , wherein the metal inserts have insert bodies, and both cover sheets have the insert locators accommodating first and second ends of the insert bodies.

16 . The in-process metal foam panel of claim 10 , wherein the metal inserts have central cylindrical through holes.

17 . A method of manufacturing a metal foam panel, comprising:

providing a first metal cover sheet and a second metal cover sheet;

coupling metal inserts to insert locators of at least one of the first or second metal cover sheets;

applying a metal foam precursor over the first metal cover sheet;

assembling the second metal cover sheet over the first metal cover sheet to establish an in-process panel and a foaming space between the first and second metal cover sheets; and

heating the in-process panel to foam the metal foam precursor into a metal foam between the first and second metal cover sheets and around the metal inserts.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the insert locators maintain lateral position of the metal inserts with respect to one or both of the first and second metal cover sheets during the heating step.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the heating step includes heating to a furnace temperature of at least 600° C.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first and second metal cover sheets have a higher melting point than the metal foam precursor and inserts.