Steel foam and method for manufacturing steel foam

1. A method of producing a steel foam component, the method comprising:

providing a mold, the mold defining a cavity;

positioning an insert within the cavity of the mold, the insert including an array of interconnected cores having predetermined spatial relationships relative to each other, the insert configured to form a generally uniform pattern of pores within at least a portion of the steel foam component and occupying at least 20 percent of the cavity;

pouring molten steel into the cavity;

cooling the molten steel into the steel foam component; and

removing the steel foam component and the insert from the mold.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the insert from the steel foam component.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein removing the insert includes draining the insert out of the steel foam component.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the insert within the cavity includes positioning a 3D-printed insert within the cavity.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the 3D-printed insert is composed of sand and a chemical binder.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insert occupies between about 20 percent and about 60 percent of the volume of the cavity.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mold includes an upper inner surface and a lower inner surface that define the cavity, and wherein positioning the insert within the cavity includes spacing the insert apart from at least one of the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein positioning the insert within the cavity includes spacing the insert apart from both of the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the mold also includes an inner peripheral surface extending between the upper inner surface and the lower inner surface, and wherein positioning the insert within the cavity includes positioning the insert within the cavity to abut at least a portion of the inner peripheral surface.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising positioning a chaplet on the lower inner surface of the mold, wherein positioning the insert within the cavity includes positioning the insert on the chaplet to space the insert apart from the lower inner surface.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the mold includes providing the mold with an opening in communication with the cavity, and wherein pouring the molten steel into the cavity includes pouring the molten steel into the cavity through the opening.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising positioning a filter within the opening, and wherein pouring the molten steel includes pouring the molten steel through the filter.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein positioning the filter includes positioning an alumina filter within the opening.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insert is a first insert and the steel foam component is a first steel foam component, and further comprising:

positioning a second insert within a cavity of a mold, the second insert including an array of interconnected cores having the same predetermined spatial relationships relative to each other as the first insert, the second insert configured to form the generally uniform pattern of pores within at least a portion of a second steel foam component and occupying at least 20 percent of the cavity;

pouring molten steel into the cavity;

cooling the molten steel into the second steel foam component; and

removing the second steel foam component and the second insert from the mold, the second steel foam component having the same pattern of pores as the first steel foam component.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pore of the generally uniform pattern of pores is connected to at least one other pore through a connection of sufficient size to allow powder to flow therethrough, and further comprising draining the insert, as a powder, from the steel foam component.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

breaking down the insert, while in the steel foam component, into a solid flowable form; and

draining the solid flowable form out of an opening in the steel foam component.

17. A method of producing a steel foam component, the method comprising:

providing a mold, the mold defining a cavity;

positioning an insert within the cavity of the mold, the insert including an array of interconnected cores having predetermined spatial relationships relative to each other, the insert configured to form a generally uniform pattern of pores within at least a portion of the steel foam component and occupying at least 20 percent of the cavity, each pore of the generally uniform pattern of pores being connected to at least one other pore through a connection of sufficient size to allow solid material flow therethrough;

pouring molten steel into the cavity;

cooling the molten steel into the steel foam component;

removing the steel foam component and the insert from the mold; and

draining the insert by solid material flow from the steel foam component.

18. A method of producing a steel foam component, the method comprising:

providing a mold, the mold defining a cavity;

positioning an insert within the cavity of the mold, the insert including an array of interconnected cores having predetermined spatial relationships relative to each other, the insert configured to form a generally uniform pattern of pores within at least a portion of the steel foam component and occupying at least 20 percent of the cavity;

pouring molten steel into the cavity;

cooling the molten steel into the steel foam component;

removing the steel foam component and the insert from the mold;

breaking down the insert while in the steel foam component; and

after breaking down the insert, removing the insert as a solid through an opening in the steel foam component.