1. Preamble

The discovery of these structures goes back a long way, since the first patent for the manufacture of metal foam was filed in 1929. However, the first significant work dates back to the 1950s. Since the early 2000s, there has been renewed interest in cellular materials, and more specifically in metal foams, due to their interesting properties, which are particularly well suited to environmental requirements, notably in terms of lightening [N 3 801] .

The techniques used to produce these metal foams are numerous, varied, more or less complex and often ingenious, using all the shapes of the...