Production and Compressive Characterization of Aluminium MMC Foam Manufactured Using Dual Foaming Agent

Aluminium foams, produced by melting Aluminium alloy (LM6) containing blowing agent(s) and vigorous stirring. TiH 2 is a known agent for this. As TiH 2 begins to decompose into Ti and gaseous H 2 when heated above about 465°C, large volumes of hydrogen gas are rapidly produced, creating bubbles that leads to a closed cell foam. A novel Strategy to enhance the mechanical properties of Al-MMC foams is discussed here, and it is demonstrated that titanium hydride (TiH 2 ) in the form of 10-15 μm diameter particles can be pre-treated by selective oxidation to produce more uniform foams having better compressive properties (yield strength and energy absorption). It is found that the mechanical properties of the foams and the uniformity of cell size distribution is improved when the foam is blown with an optimized mixture of CaCO 3 and pretreated TiH 2 . In order to define the relationship of mechanical properties with relative density of this material, correlations which uniquely defines the compressive behaviour of this modified Al- MMC foam has been developed.