1 Department of Mechanical Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada. anamaria01@live.com.au.
2 Department of Mechanical Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada. ramona.vintila@mail.mcgill.ca.
3 Department of Mechanical Industrial and Aerospace Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, Canada. robin.drew@concordia.ca.

Morphology of Aluminum Alloy Foams Produced with Dolomite via Partial Sintering of Precursors.

Materials (Basel). 2019 May 24;12(10):

Authors: Medina Ramirez AM, Vintila RR, Drew RAL

Abstract

Highly expanded, low-cost aluminum-based foams were successfully produced via powder metallurgy using dolomite as foaming agent. Nickel additions (5-15 wt.%) were explored in order to reduce the temperature disparity between dolomite decomposition and the melting range of the metallic matrix. Specific Al-Ni compositions provide appropriate viscosities for effective encapsulation of CO2 gas released during dolomite decomposition. A partial sintering step of compacted precursors was introduced prior to foaming, which resulted in high porosity levels (~86%) and significant volume expansion (~250%) in the final product. The partial sintering technique was a key determining factor in obtaining stable, highly expanded cellular structures with homogeneous pores, averaging 3 mm in size and being morphologically comparable with ALPORASTM foams.

PMID: 31137682 [PubMed]