Aluminium and aluminium based metal matrix composite (MMC) foams are ultra light materials with good capability for energy absorption.In spite of this,their large scale applications are yet to emerge.One of the reasons could be a lack of understanding of energy absorption under variety of dynamic loading conditions and the related mechanisms.In the present work,aluminium foams and MMC foams were initially subjected to quasi static compression to show that a large plateau in the stress versus strain curve exists signifying that large energy can be absorbed under relatively low transmitted stress.Further,foams embedded in steel cans were shown to absorb more energy per unit weight of the canned foam than summation of energy absorption by empty cans and bare foams demonstrating that the deformations of the foam and the can are not independent and that an interaction between the two exists which is responsible for additional energy absorption.Similar benefits of increased energy absorption under three point bending were observed in hollow aluminium channels filling with foams.Bare and canned foams were also tested under drop hammer impact on a rigid platform.It was found that the acceleration of the elastic wave through the hammer (a measure of the impulse of the impact force) reduced by more than an order of magnitude if foams were sandwiched between the hammer and the rigid platform.An optimum foam density exists for which the energy absorption is the maximum.The capacity of foams to reduce trauma generated by explosiion at a stand-off distance was also evaluated.Again,foam layers were found to reduce trauma experienced by steel plates exposed to off-distance explosion.Foams tested in shock tubes showed that samples sandwiched between CFRP sheets absorbed more shock pressure than bare foams,indicating the importance of interfaces in energy absorption.