Abstract
As the requirement of compressive fatigue loading on the mechanical properties of aluminium foams increase rapidly, the limited fatigue performance of them significantly restricts their engineering applications. In this study, the compression-compression fatigue properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced closed-cell Al-Si composite foams (C-ASCFs) were investigated. The fatigue strength of C-ASCFs with 0.50 wt% CNTs increased by 54% than that of Al-Si foams, where the CNTs contributed to decrease the crack expansion rate, transfer the fatigue load and hence change the fatigue failure mode, causing a combination of plastic and brittle deformation in them. Meanwhile, the appropriate incorporation of CNTs decreased pore nucleation threshold, optimized the pore morphology, and promoted the formation and refinement of eutectic Si. Such inhibited the probability of fatigue cracks initiation, resulting in the enhancement of fatigue life. This work provides theoretical and practical basis of design strategy of Al-Si composite foams and broadens their application prospect.
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