Effect of Microstructural Anisotropy of PM Precursors on the Characteristic Expansion of Aluminum Foams

Abstract

This work investigates the causes of the anisotropic early expansion (below the melting point) of powder metallurgical (PM) aluminum foam precursors by evaluating the crystallographic anisotropy induced during the production of the precursor materials. A varied group of precursors prepared using different parameters and techniques (direct powder extrusion and hot uniaxial compression) has been investigated. Multidirectional foaming expansion has been registered in situ by means of the optical expandometry technique, while X-ray diffraction has been used to characterize the preferred crystallographic orientation (texture) of the pressed powders. The results point to a clear correlation between the expansion anisotropy and the microstructural crystallographic anisotropy of the precursors. Although this correlation is not a direct cause–effect phenomenon, it is a good indicator of intrinsic precursor characteristics, such as densification and powder interparticle bonding, which govern the expansion behavior during the early stages when the material is still in a solid or semisolid state.