Owing to its properties, metallic foams can be used as insulation material. Thermal properties of cast metal-ceramic composite foams have applications in transport vehicles and can act as fire resistant and acoustic insulators of bulkheads. This paper presents basic thermal properties of cast and foamed aluminum, the values of thermal conductivity coefficient of selected gases used in foaming composites and thermal capabilities of composite foams (AlSi11/SiC). A certificate of non-combustibility test of cast aluminum-ceramic foam for marine applications was included inside the paper. The composite foam was prepared by the gas injection method, consisting in direct injection of gas into liquid metal. Foams with closed and open cells were examined. The foams were foaming with foaming gas consisting of nitrogen or air. This work is one of elements of researches connected with description of properties of composite foams. In author's other works acoustic properties of these materials will be presented.

Diagnostics of composite castings, due to their complex structure, requires that their characteristics are tested by an appropriate description

method. Any deviation from the specific characteristic will be regarded as a material defect. The detection of defects in composite castings

sometimes is not sufficient and the defects have to be identified. This study classifies defects found in the structures of saturated metallic

composite castings and indicates those stages of the process where such defects are likely to be formed. Not only does the author

determine the causes of structural defects, describe methods of their detection and identification, but also proposes a schematic procedure

to be followed during detection and identification of structural defects of castings made from saturated reinforcement metallic composites.

Alloys examination was conducted after technological process, while using destructive (macroscopic tests, light and scanning electron

microscopy) and non-destructive (ultrasonic and X-ray defectoscopy, tomography, gravimetric method) methods. Research presented in

this article are part of author’s work on castings quality.