Abstract
The effects of additional sodium chloride particles on the structure and quasi-static compressive properties of open cell AZ91 alloy foams were studied using the infiltration method. Optimal variables, such as the particle size, preheating temperature, and pressure during formation, were obtained using experiments. Furthermore, the fragility and the resultant fracturing of the particles during foam formation were studied. The experimental results show that the physical characteristics of semi-fragile sodium chloride have a prominent effect on the pore structure formation and the compressive behavior of foamed AZ91. Thus, this work reveals that sodium chloride particles can be stabilized to effectively control the pore structure of foam alloys and produce improvements for use in various engineering applications.
Highlights
It is highly desirable to apply foam magnesium alloys in structural components because of their excellent strength-to-density ratio, high-energy absorption, and high impact resistance.1–3 There are various methods that are currently used to make foam alloys.4–8 A common process to produce open-cell lightweight metal foams is infiltration casting
Optical micrographs of the internal architecture for the AZ91 foams with pore diameters ranging from 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm are shown in Figs. 2(a) and 2(b)
It is obvious that the structure of the AZ91 foam is predominantly open-cell and irregular on the scale of individual pores and struts as the struts lack a constant crosssection, which reflects variations in the shape and orientation of the NaCl particles
Summary
It is highly desirable to apply foam magnesium alloys in structural components because of their excellent strength-to-density ratio, high-energy absorption, and high impact resistance.1–3 There are various methods that are currently used to make foam alloys.4–8 A common process to produce open-cell lightweight metal foams is infiltration casting. The particle size, particle spacing, and preheating temperature are the key variables that affect the overall pore structure of the foamed alloy. Various studies considered increasing the pore size uniformity through the introduction of sodium chloride (NaCl) particles as a placeholder material.9 Given their low cost, high refractoriness and strength, and appropriate shape and size, these particles are considered to be advantageous additions to alloy foams.
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