Novel lightweight open cell metal foam process and resulting properties |
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Collaborators: N/A
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Materials:
Metals
Application: Structural Technique: Processing Characterization |
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A new low cost process has been developed for fabricating both stochastic and periodic open cell metal foam structures by direct deposition of solidifying liquid wires, droplets and spray, and simultaneously welding them in-situ. The process is capable of producing a dide range of pore spaces from microns to milimeters and amenable to computer-aided manufacturing techniqque. Open cell structures with closed outer surfaces and solid face sheets have bee produced. The process is also capable of producing graded porosity, and various internal geometries when deposition is carried out over removable geometric inserts. Samples with a variety of internalgeometries were produced from several aluminum alloys to create multiscale porosity levels, and tested under compression for elastic modulus and strength. The results show that plateau strength and modulus can be influenced by the choice of internal geometry, which are not uniquely prredicted by ligament bending-based models. Simple models demonstrate that the orientation of internal coluumns and walls are directly connected with the measured deformation behavior. |