An investigation on structural properties of pure Al foam manufactured by powder metallurgy using TiH2 foaming agent

Aluminum foams are a new generation of materials and have unique features and considerable applications in the manufacturing industry. In this research, Al foams were produced with titanium hydride as foaming agent by powder metallurgy method. Amounts of TiH2 powder were 0.5, 1 and 2 wt. %. Partial sintering was performed at 400 °C and foaming temperatures were changed from 750 °C to 850 °C. The effects of foaming agent weight percent and heating parameters were investigated by comparing structural properties of final foams. Macroscopic examinations showed that foams containing 1 wt. % TiH2 manufactured at 800°C have 77.8% porosity with the most uniform structure.

Keywords:

Aluminum foam , Powder metallurgy , Titanium hydride , Porosity