Fabrication of Al/SiC composite foams with TiH2foaming agent by laser melting deposition

Abstract

In this work, SiC reinforced aluminum composite foams were successfully fabricated by laser melting deposition (LMD). The microstructure, energy absorption capacity, and compressive properties of Al/SiC composite foams were investigated systematically, and the results indicated that with increasing the content of SiC nanoparticles, the porosity and average pore size of aluminum foams decreased. Compared with the pure aluminum foams, the compressive strength and energy absorption of the Al/SiC composite foams increased by 43.8% and 16.0%, from 28.5 MPa and 55.5 × 106 J m-3 to 41.0 MPa and 64.4 × 106 J m-3, respectively. The research indicates that SiC nanoparticles are effective additives to homogenize the pore size and enhance the mechanical performance of aluminum foams by the LMD method.