An experimental investigation into the quasi-static compression behavior of open-cell aluminum foams focusing on controlling the space holder particle size

In this paper, the metal foams of AA332 and AA1067 alloys were produced using an economical technique called the pressurized infiltration process. The main advantage of this technique is controlling the space holder particle size during the production process which has a considerable effect on the mechanical properties of the foam and higher energy absorption capacity compared to those in the open literature accepted. The mechanical properties of aluminum foams with open-cell morphology under quasi-static compression loading were investigated. The commercial NaCl particles with different particle sizes of 3 mm, 4 mm, and 5 mm were employed as the space holder. To confirm the interconnected open-cell morphology of the foam, X-ray CT-scan images were taken. Moreover, the quasi-static compression behavior of produced foams was studied in terms of the relative density, plateau stress, energy absorption capacity, specific energy absorption, and energy absorption efficiency. The results indicated that increasing the NaCl particle size leads to decreasing all the mentioned parameters except the energy absorption efficiency. Also, compared to open-cell foams produced by AA1067 alloy, using AA332 alloy as the base material leads to improving the mechanical properties of the foam. By using AA332 base material, the average plateau stress of 27.59 MPa, energy absorption capacity of 16.77 MJ/m3, specific energy absorption of 13.43 J/g, and energy absorption efficiency of 73% were achieved at the plateau end strain.