Influence of processing parameters on aluminium foam produced by space holder technique

The interesting properties of metal foams as light weight, good energy absorption, low thermal conductivity, recyclability have spurred new process developments with the goal to obtain materials with a good relation between properties and costs. The different manufacturing methods are classified according to the starting metal state: liquid, powdered or ionized. The aim of this study is to evaluate the morphological and mechanical foam properties and to optimise the process parameters of a space holder method starting from powders: the Sintering and Dissolution Process (SDP). During the experimental work the samples have been realised following the principles of Design Of Experiment (DOE). The analyzed parameters are: the composition, the pressure and the sintering time. The final evaluations of the most important features (relative density and plateau stress) have been made by ANOVA statistical analysis to identify the most influencing variables on foam quality. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.