Correlation of processing methodology to the physical and mechanical properties of syntactic foams with and without fibers

The effect of processing on the entrapment of voids in both fiber-free and fiber-bearing syntactic foam systems is studied. The process modifications for reinforced foam systems decreased the amount of voids. Foams with different void contents were later on tested for evaluating the compressive strengths. Also recorded were the strengths in two mutually perpendicular axes of the cast reinforced system. It was found that strength of syntactic foams increased as void content decreased, emphasizing that a good correlation between the two parameters exists. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1999. All rights reserved.