Fabrication and Properties Evaluation of Alumina-Based Open-Cell Foams

Abstract

Open-cell ceramic foams are new class of materials with wide range of engineering applications due to their unique combination of thermal, structural and mechanical properties. These materials have not been well explored in the field of energy absorption applications due to their inherent brittleness in nature. In the present investigation, the alumina (Al2O3)-based ceramic foams with different pore sizes such as 10 PPI, 20 PPI, 30 PPI (pores per inch) were fabricated by the polymer sponge replication process. Attempt was made to modify the brittle nature of ceramic foams with energy absorption property by aluminium molten metal infiltration. All the fabricated samples were tested under quasistatic compression test. This study revealed that 30 PPI foam had high energy absorption property compared to all other foams, and also this energy absorption properties had been significantly enhanced through infiltration due to composite effect.