EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ALUMINIUM FOAM

SANDWICH IN AUTOMOBILE APPLICATION

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of

Bachelor of Engineering Degree in

Mechanical and Production

BY

J.MURALIMANO (3416051)
N.MADHIYAZHAGAN (3416040)

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND PRODUCTION

ENGINEERING
SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SATHYABAMA
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY)
Accredited with Grade “A” by NAAC
JEPPIAAR NAGAR, RAJIV GANDHI SALAI,CHENNAI – 600119. TAMILNADU.

APRIL 2018
 DECLARATION

We J.MURALIMANO (Reg. No. 3416051) and N.MADHIYAZHAGAN (Reg. No.

3416040) hereby declare that the Project Report entitled “EXPERIMENTAL
INVESTIGATION OF ALUMINIUM FOAM IN AUTOMOBILE APPLICATION” done
by us under the guidance of Mrs.M.Sangeetha is submitted in partial fulfilment of
the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical
and Production.

DATE : 1.

PLACE : 2.

SIGNATURE OF THE CANDIDATES

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am pleased to acknowledge my sincere thanks to Board of Management

of SATHYABAMA for their kind encouragement in doing this project and for
completing it successfully. I am grateful to them.

I convey my thanks to Dr.S.Prakash, Dean, School of Mechanical

Engineering, and Dr. ,Head of the Department, Department of
mechanical and production engineering for providing me necessary support and
details at the right time during the progressive reviews.

I would like to express my sincere and deep sense of gratitude to my

Project Guide Mrs.N.Sangeetha, for her valuable guidance, suggestions and
constant encouragement paved way for the successful completion of my project
work.

I wish to express my thanks to all Teaching and Non-teaching staff

members of the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering who
were helpful in many ways for the completion of the project.
 CHAPTER 1

ABSTRACT

The Aluminium alloy foam is a new class of material with low density,
large specific surface, better corrosion resistance and wear and low thermal
expansion. Their application is light weight structural components, shock or sound
absorbing products, aero planes and ships. As a foam agent are calcium carbonate
and Magnesium carbonate powder add process, the composite aluminium foam
sandwich structure is fabricated by bottom pouring stir casting furnace through
melting route. Further the specimen is examining the experimental test and
calculates the readings. Finally compare the three type aluminium foam sandwich
structure results from aluminium alloy structure. The results shown the energy
absorption capability of the composite structures is much greater than the sum of
the energy absorbed by the two components, the foam and the tube. The main aim
of this project is to reduce the cost of making metal foams and produce higher
foaming by adding both the blowing agents at the same time to produce more
foaming. We are assuming to use this material in structures and supportive columns
in buildings.

The results show that the component which has been produced has
lower density than aluminium 6061 and the porosity of the substance has increased
to a minimum extent.
 CHAPTER 2

INTRODUCTION

Outline of the project

Cellular materials are widespread in everyday life and are used for
cushioning, insulating, damping, constructing, filtering purposes and many other
applications. Highly porous materials are also known to have a high stiffness
combined with a very low specific weight. This metallic foams are beneficial in many
ways in our day to day life since the have low density than their parent element from
which they are made of. The metallic foams have more vibration absorption
characteristics than their parent element. Metal foams have a vast range of
porosities (micron-centimetre). The component can have a very sophisticated
porosity levels which can be understood from the following project which has been
conducted on aluminium alloy.

Higher percentage of Titanium is used in the aerospace structure which

is not economical. We know that the cost of titanium is very high when compared to
other elements and alloys, hence a replacement has been proposed in this project.
The structures made of Aluminium and other metal alloys are denser, and also has
lower range of absorption to vibration. In this project, we will be working on
Aluminium foam sandwich with aluminium to be used as a replacement for titanium.
We know that the cost of production for aluminium foam is high, but by using
cheaper blowing agents (CaCO3 and MgCO3) and by blowing an inert gas in the
molten mixture of aluminium alloy .We will be fabricating the aluminium foam to
study the component.

Aluminium foam sandwich

Metal foams

Metal foam is a cellular structure made up of a solid metal containing a

large volume fraction of gas-filled pores. These pores can either be sealed (closed-
cell foam), or they can be an interconnected network (open-cell foam). The closed-
cell foam is referred to as metal foams, while the open-cell foam is referred to simply
as porous metal. Metal foams are potential materials for light-weight structural
sandwich panels, packing material and energy absorbing devices and they can be
used in applications such as automobile crumple zones, structural members in air
and spacecraft, and even in biomedical prosthesis. Mostly this type of aluminium
foams are manufacturing through melting route and powder metallurgy route. The
metal that is commonly used to make metal foams is aluminium. However,
other varieties of metals can be used to make the foam, such as titanium and
tantalum. Aluminium foam can be produced by various means such as

VARIOUS METHODS OF PRODUCTION

a) Foaming by blowing agents(Hydro/Alcan)

The first method of foaming aluminium and aluminium alloys is being
exploited by Hydro Aluminium in Norway and by Cymat Aluminium Corporation in
Canada. According to this process, silicon-carbide, aluminium-oxide, or
magnesium-oxide particles are used to enhance the viscosity of the melt. Therefore,
the first step comprises the preparation of an aluminium melt containing one of these
substances, making it a metal-matrix composite (MMC). This step reportedly
requires sophisticated mixing techniques to ensure a uniform distribution of
particles. A variety of aluminium alloys can be used.

b) Foaming by gas entrapment(Alporas)

Foaming melts directly is to add a blowing agent to the melt instead of
injecting gas into it. Heat causes the blowing agent to decompose and release gas,
which then propels the foaming process he filler materials can remain in the resulting
metal or be removed. Metal powders, fibres or even metallic micro-spheres can be
used to make porous metals without space holders to attain high porosity.
 Fig2.1. Alporas process procedure
c) Solid-Gas Eutectic Solidification (Gasar)
These metals is melted in a hydrogen atmosphere under high pressure (up
to 50 atms), the result is a homogeneous melt charged with hydrogen. If the
temperature is lowered, the melt will eventually undergo a eutectic transition to a
heterogeneous two-phase system (solid + gas). If the composition of the system is
sufficiently close to the eutectic concentration, a segregation reaction will occur at
one temperature. As the melt is solidified, gas pores precipitate and are entrapped
in the metal. The resulting pore morphologies are largely determined by the
hydrogen content, the pressure over the melt, by the direction and rate of heat
removal, and by the chemical composition of the melt. Generally, largely elongated
pores oriented in the direction of solidification are formed.

Fig Gasar process steps

d) Foaming by powder metallurgy
Foamed metals can be also be prepared from metal powders. The production
process begins with the mixing of metal powders-elementary metal powders, alloy
powders, or metal powder blends-with a blowing agent, after which the mix is
compacted to yield a dense, semi-finished product. The compaction can be
achieved using any technique in which the blowing agent is embedded into the metal
matrix without any notable residual open porosity. Examples of such compaction
methods are uniaxial or isostatic compression, rod extrusion, or powder rolling. The
precursor has to be manufactured very carefully because residual porosity or other
defects will lead to poor results in further processing. The next step is heat treatment
at temperatures near the melting point of the matrix material. The blowing agent,
which is homogeneously distributed within the dense metallic matrix, decomposes
and the released gas forces the melting precursor material to expand, forming its
highly porous structure.

Types of metal foams

Stochastic or Reticulated Foam

This foam is a skeletal structure, meaning it is not a metal coating on a base

structure, but is instead a pure metal/alloy. The cells and ligaments form a regular,
repeatable, regular and uniform matrix throughout the entirety of the material.It is
rigid with a highly porous and permeable structure. It exists in a range of densities
and pore sizes.

Regular Stacked Cell Foam

This regular, stacked cell foam has evenly- spaced, open pores, defined as tetra-
kaidecahedrons, which are polygons with 14 faces - 8 hexagonal and 6 square. It
can be imagined as a 3D honeycomb. Sand casting is used to manufacture the
foam and as such the exact form of the foam can be determined before its
manufacture, and is repeatable in series: each manufactured piece will be identical
and will therefore have exactly the same behaviour.
 1. Uses of aluminium foam
A metal foam is a cellular structure consisting of a solid metal (frequently aluminium)
with gas-filled pores comprising a large portion of the volume. The pores can be
sealed (closed-cell foam) or interconnected (open-cell foam). Metallic foams
typically retain some physical properties of their base material. Metal foams have
great amount of absorption capabilities hence it can be used in structures and
beams of structures since it has good structural strength. the aluminium foam has
1. Applications of aluminium foam

• Impact absorption
• Heat sinks and exchangers
• Matrix for chemical beds and scrubbers
• Filters and mist elimination of water and oils
• Core structure for high strength panels
• Battery plates and spacers
• Weight reducing components in aircraft or automotive applications
• Catalyst surface

LITERATURE SURVEY

Manfred Wichmann (2010) was experimenting on Carbonates as Foaming Agent in

Chip-based Aluminium Foam Precursor the results showed that the carbonates can
be used as foaming agents in powdered metallurgy route to produce metallic foam
[1].

N.Karthikeyan (2015) was observing the Fabrication and Shear Strength of

Aluminium Foam Sandwich Structure the results infer that the Calcium Carbonates
(CaCo3) Magnesium Carbonate (MgCO3) can be used as foaming agents [2].

Mustafa Merih Arıkan (2013) had been working on Aluminium Integral Foam
Production with various Casting Methods from this paper we will be understanding
the best route to attain highest quality of metallic foam [3].

Svyatoslav, Vitalievich Gnyloskurenko, Takuya Koizumi, Kazuhiko Kita and Takashi

Nakamura) followed different process for fabricating aluminium foam with
Carbonate compounds (CaCo3) as reinforcements.[4]
 CHAPTER 3

MATERIALS AND METHODS

ALUMINIUM 6061-T6 METAL

Aluminium alloy 6061 is one of the most extensively used of the 6000
series aluminium alloys. It is a versatile heat treatable extruded alloy with medium
to high strength capabilities. Aluminium 6061 is a precipitation-hardened aluminium
alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying elements. Originally
called "Alloy 61S", it was developed in 1935. It has good mechanical properties,
exhibits good weldability, and is very commonly extruded It is one of the most
common alloys of aluminium for general-purpose use. According to the given
content in references papers the aluminium 6061 is mostly used for making metal
foams with low density and high porosity.

Aluminium 6061 is used for the construction of aircraft structures,

such as wings and fuselages, more commonly in homebuilt aircraft than commercial
or military aircraft. 2024 alloy is somewhat stronger, but 6061 is more easily worked
and remains resistant to corrosion even when the surface is abraded, which is not
the case for 2024, which is usually used with a thin Al-clad coating for corrosion
resistance. Aluminium 6061 has very good weldability and the vibration absorption
capability of the component is improved by making the AA6061 foam which leads
to better efficiency. The aluminium foam needs to have porosity and this porosity is
produced by blowing agents to continuously produce gases in the material.

Fig Aluminium block Fig cut into small pieces for melting
CHEMICAL COMPOSTION OF Al 6061-T6

The alloy composition of 6061 is:

Component Weight percentage (wt %)

Aluminium 97.08%
Magnesium 0.8-1.2%
Silicon 0.4-0.8%
Iron Max 0.7
Copper 0.15-0.40
Zinc Max 0.25
Titanium Max 0.15
Manganese Max 0.15
Chromium 0.04-0.35
Others 0.05

Key properties of Aluminium 6061-T6

Typical properties of aluminium alloy 6061 include:

 Medium to high strength

 Good toughness
 Good surface finish
 Excellent corrosion resistance to atmospheric conditions
 Good corrosion resistance to sea water
 Can be anodized
 Good weldability and braze ability
 Good workability
 Widely available

Uses of Aluminium 6061 in industries

 Construction of aircraft structures, such as wings and fuselages, more

commonly in homebuilt aircraft than commercial or military aircraft.[8] 2024 alloy is
somewhat stronger, but 6061 is more easily worked and remains resistant to
corrosion even when the surface is abraded, which is not the case for 2024, which
is usually used with a thin Al-clad coating for corrosion resistance.
 Yacht construction, including small utility boats.
 Automotive parts, such as the chassis of the Audi A8.
 Some tactical flashlights
 Aluminium cans for the packaging of food and beverages.
 SCUBA tanks (post 1999)

Physical Properties of Aluminium 6061-T6

Density 2.7gm/cc
Melting point Approximately 580C
Modulus of elasticity 68.2 G Pa
Poisson ratio 0.33
Young’s modulus (E) 68.9 G Pa (9,990 ksi)
Tensile strength 124–290 MPa (18.0–42.1 ksi)

Thermal properties of aluminium 6061-T6

Co-Efficient of Thermal Expansion (20- 23.5x10-6 m/m.°C

100°C)
Thermal Conductivity 173 W/m.K
Electrical Resistivity 3.7 – 4.0 x10-6 Ω.cm

Mechanical properties of aluminium 6061-T6

Temper Ultimate 0.2% proof Brinell Elongation

tensile stress stress(M Pa) Hardness 50mm
(M Pa) (500kg load, diameter
10mm ball) (%)
T-6 (material 260-310 240-276 95-97 9-13
used)
FOAMING AGENTS

Calcium carbonate

Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common

substance found in rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite (most notably as
limestone, which contains both of those minerals) and is the main component of
pearls and the shells of marine organisms, snails, and eggs. Calcium carbonate is
the active ingredient in agricultural lime and is created when calcium ions in hard
water react with carbonate ions to create limescale (mineral ore). It is medicinally
used as a calcium supplement or as an antacid, but excessive consumption can be
hazardous. Advantages of using Calcium Carbonate (CaCo3) as a foaming agent.

• Anhydrous compound and which is very stable

• Low cost foaming

Density 2.711 g/cm3

Molar mass 100.0869 g/mol

.

Melting point 872 C

Fig calcium carbonate

In this project, Calcium Carbonate has been used as foaming agent since it does
not react with aluminium 6061 at any condition and hence the calcium carbonate
decomposes to form.

CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g) (1)

This reaction occurs when the foaming agent has been added to the component
when the material is at a melting point about 680°C and the decomposition occurs
and the Calcium oxide is formed which are found in the porosities of the component
and the component produces pores due to the release of Carbon di oxide (CO 2)
which produces the foaming or porosities in the component.

Magnesium carbonate
It is an inorganic salt that is a white solid. The most common magnesium carbonate
forms are the anhydrous salt called magnesite (MgCO3) and the di, tri, and
pentahydrates known as barringtonite (MgCO3·2 H2O), nesquehonite (MgCO3·3
H2O), and lansfordite (MgCO3·5 H2O), respectively. In this project we will using a
anhydrous magnesium carbonate.

MgCO3 → MgO(s) + CO2(g)

Anhydrous magnesium carbonate is used because it has a lower
melting point than that of aluminium hence it escapes out as
gaseous oxides forming simple magnesium oxide and carbon
dioxide. This carbon dioxide gets released from the inner portion
of the structures and the foaming has been done on the material
AA6061.according to the experimental procedure.

Fig anhydrous MgCO3

the component which has

 METHODOLOGY

Experimental Investigation of Aluminium Foam Sandwich with Aluminium in

Automobile Application

Fabrication of aluminium foam by liquid metallurgy process

Aluminium foam casting methods Mould Casting

Casting with
Precursor Gas Continuous Casting
Closed stir casting
Tablets

Analysing the result to reduce the density of the

automobile components

Micro Vickers Charpy V notch Tensile Compression

hardness impact

Porosity Microstructure

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

Analysing the aluminium foam composite hence concluding that the composite
can be used in in automobile structures and bodies
CASTING PROCESS

Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is

usually poured into a mould, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape,
and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is
ejected or broken out of the mould to complete the process. Casting materials are
usually metals or various cold setting materials that cure after mixing two or more
components together; examples are epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay. Casting is
most often used for making complex shapes that would be otherwise difficult or
uneconomical to make by other methods.

Metal is heated until it becomes liquid and is then poured into a

mould. The mould is a hollow cavity that includes the desired shape, but the mould
also includes runners and risers that enable the metal to fill the mould. The mould
and the metal are then cooled until the metal solidifies. The solidified part (the
casting) is then recovered from the mould. Subsequent operations remove excess
material caused by the casting process.

Different types of casting process

1. Direct injection casting

The device consists of a gas blower and impeller. Pore formation gas is
introduced to the liquid metal with a tube while the impeller rotates in liquid metal.
The impeller is rotated at 600–800 rpm. Gas pressure is applied to the gas chamber
for foam production and the gas rate is 6–7 L/min. Uniform distribution of the pore
and refined size can be obtained from the system. This process is mostly used in
large scale industries to manufacture aluminium foam with low porosity.
Aluminium foam casting process

Stir casting process

Stir casting is a liquid state method of composite materials fabrication, in which a

dispersed phase (ceramic particles, short fibers) is mixed with a molten matrix
metal by means of mechanical stirring. The liquid composite material is then cast
by conventional casting methods and may also be processed by conventional
Metal forming technologies. The main aim of the stir casting under closed
condition in this process is to achieve the following
• To achieve uniform distribution of the air pockets on the inner surface
• To achieve wettability between the two main substances
• To maximize porosity in the cast metal matrix composite
PROCESS PARAMETERS:

Fig pictorial representation of stir casting component

A) STIRRER DESIGN:
It is very important parameter in stir casting process which is required for vortex
formation. The blade angle and number of blades decides the flow pattern of the
liquid metal. The stirrer is immersed till two third depth of molten metal. All these
are required for uniform distribution of reinforcement in liquid metal, perfect

Electrical motor
uniform porosity and to increase the amount of pores..

Molten metal ready to mix the

composite and casting of the
metal is done

Fig Stir casting furnace setup

B) STIRRER SPEED:
Stirring speed is an important parameter to promote binding between matrix and
reinforcement i.e. wettability. Stirring speed decides formation of vortex which is
responsible for dispersion of particulates in liquid metal. In our project stirring
speed is 120 rpm.

C) STIRRING TEMPERATURE:
Aluminium melts around 650°C, at this temperature semisolid stage of melt is
present. Particle distribution depends on change in viscosity. The viscosity of
matrix is mainly influenced by the processing temperature. The viscosity of liquid is
decreased by increasing processing temperature with increasing holding time for
stirring which also promote binding between matrix and reinforcement. Good
wettability is obtained by keeping temperature at 760°C.

D) STIRRING TIME:
As stirring promote uniform distribution of reinforcement partials and interface
bond between matrix and reinforcement, stirring time plays a vital role in stir
casting method. Less stirring leads to non-uniform distribution of particles and
porosity cannot be maintained, excess stirring forms clustering of particles at some
places which leads to non-uniform porosities. Stirring time is 1-4 minutes in our
case. The time of stirring is an important aspect to obtain uniform porosity on the
inner surface of the casted metal.

Experimental procedure

The aluminium (6061) is containing Al 95.8%, Mg 0.5%, Si 0.6%, and Ca 1.5%.

There are two sample that are being made by this process. By adding two foaming
agents in this process we will be making the porosity and the structural strength of
the component more than that of the parent element. The two blowing agents are
CaCO3 and MgCO3 as blowing agents which results in foaming of the component
by bottom pouring stir casting process. Firstly the stir casting crucible is cleaned to
reduce any kind of component that can be mixed with the component. Then the
crucible is coated with a layer of silicone lime solvent to prevent the aluminium from
sticking on to the surface of the material. Now the crucible is heated to 450 degree
Celsius. Then the aluminium 6061 alloy cylinders are placed inside the crucible and
in the meantime the mould in which the molten metal is going to be poured coated
with the same thin layer of silicone lime solvent to make the mould and other
components not to stick to the components when this foam is produced. Now the
material which is responsible for the foam composite to occur is added at a gradual
rate. The reinforcement or blowing agent must be preheated to about 150 degree
Celsius. Now the pneumatic system is used in this stir casting furnace which used
to pore the stirred hot mixture into the preheated mould. As the reinforcements are
added these reactions occurs at greater than room temperature.

Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g)

For Magnesium carbonate

MgCO3 → MgO(s) + CO2(g)

This carbon di oxide released has to escape out of the structure. Now the casted
alloy looks like the reduced temperature
CHAPTER 3

RESULT & DISCUSSION

POROSITY

Here, we have attained a very light amount of foaming that occurred due to the act
of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate diffusing into the component as
Calcium oxide and magnesium oxide which have been deposited in the air gap
which leads to the foaming of the component. The resulting structures have been
examined according to their wt%. The component M1 has 6%of calcium carbonate
and 5% magnesium carbonate and the rest of the wt% is AA 6061. The
component has a very minor foaming since the CaO and MgO have been
deposited on the structure and the components analysis have been done.
Porosities of two components have been done accordingly.
Component M1 (For foaming)

Materials Weight percentage (wt %) Weight added to

melt(grams)
Aluminium Alloy (AA 89% 566.35grams
6061- T6)
Calcium Carbonate 6% 17.42grams
(CaCO3)
Magnesium Carbonate 5% 12.33 grams
(MgCo3)
Porosity Measurements:

Sample M-1 6wt%of CaCO3,5wt%of MgCO3 and 89wt%of AA6061

Photo-1 100X
1)38.88 microns, 2) 33.33microns, 3) 19.44microns, 4) 43.05microns 5)
33.36microns & less than 15 microns
From this result, we infer that foaming can be attained by using calcium carbonate
and magnesium carbonate as blowing agents the method used here is closed cell
stir casting process. The average size of the pores in this component one is close
to 20 microns.
 Photo-2 100X
1) 33.3 microns, 2) 31.9microns, 18.05 microns, 4) 19.54microns and less than
10 microns.
From the above results, we have inferred that we can attain uniform porosity by
using the calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate together. To form uniformity
in the porosity which are in unequal levels.
NOTE: In the above sample degasser was not used to reduce the slag (Aluminium
oxide formation) that will be formed on the top surface due to the reaction of
aluminium with atmospheric oxygen.
Component M-4:
In this casted component the amount of foaming done on the very low due to the
addition of degasser since the degasser produces outlet to allow the carbon dioxide
coming in the component more easier produces less foaming than the previous
sample here we have obtained. The component has lower value of
Porosity than that of the previous sample it has got an average of 5-4 microns per
unit area of the sample.
Component M2 (For foaming)

Materials Weight percentage (wt Weight added to

%) melt(grams)
Aluminium Alloy (AA 90% 589.90 grams
6061- T6)
Calcium Carbonate 5% 12.33 grams
(CaCO3)
Magnesium Carbonate 4% 9.08 grams
(MgCo3)
Sample M-2

Photo-1 100X Photo-2 100X

Photo-1: less than 5 microns- 2 Nos. Photo-2: less than 3 microns Nos.
Microstructures results
From the below figures we can infer that the porosities have been filled with CaO
Residues and the component has a CaO deposition on the surface layer and the
microstructural analysis has a revealed that the CaO did not get burned in the
structural analysis of the structure. The foaming agent decomposed and occupy
the grain boundaries.

Photo-1 Photo-2

100X results
In these results show the porosity have been foamed successfully and the casting
has been successful. The air holes are not empty in the case of this sample M-3.
The micro structures have been done on de-wintor inverted trinocular metallurgical
microscope. The magnification has been done for 100 X level and 200x level. In the
photo-3 we can observe that the porosities have been maintained to a similar level
hence this foam can be produced by a following foaming agents (CaCO3 and
MgCO3) at a much lower cost and the material has a good amount of porosities.

Photo-3 Photo-4
Magnification: 100X & 200X Etchant: Keller’s Reagent Soln.
Photo-1 & 2: Shows the microstructure of AA 6061 with addition of foaming agent.
Photo-3 & 4: Shows the resolved grain boundaries in which the residue of the
foaming agent retained the space and settled at the grain boundaries. The residues
are the oxides of the foaming agent. Note at photo-3 & 4 the grain boundaries are
resolved and the deposits are observed.

Sample B-4:

Photo-1 Photo-2
 Photo-3 Photo-4
Magnification: 100X & 200X Etchant: Keller’s Reagent Soln.
Photo-1 & 2: Shows the microstructure of AA 6061 with addition of foaming agent.
The foaming agent decomposed and occupy the grain boundaries.
Photo-3 & 4: Shows the resolved grain boundaries in which the residue of the
foaming agent retained the space and settled at the grain boundaries. The residues
are the oxides of the foaming agent. Note at photo-3 & 4 the grain boundaries are
resolved and the deposits are observed. Photo-3 shows the macro porosities
without the presence of deposits. Photo-4 shows the deposits at the grain
boundaries.

Compression
Tension test is normally conducted to obtain the mechanical properties of Metals. It
is the primary test used for quality control and the basis for acceptance and refusal
of metallic products used in construction and other uses. • Compression test is used
to obtain the mechanical properties and is the basis acceptance and refusal of brittle
non metallic and other materials that have very low strength in tension like concrete,
wood, masonry, etc
 Fig shows the compression testing machine
Friction between the machine head and the sample effects the results causing
stresses to have a small inclination. Bearing blocks are used to ensure the load is
applied to the specimen. Spherical loading heads are used to avoid applying the
load at a single point if the loading surfaces are at a small angle.
Testing load range : Max 5 Ton
Make : Associated Scientific Engg.
Works, New Delhi
Digital Encoder make : Auto Instruments - Kholapur
Gear rotation speed (for gradual loading) :1.25. 1.5 & 2.5 mm /min
Software details : FIE make India

Compression test results

 5Sample M-3

The structure shows deformation after the effect of

working under high pressure and this component is
permanently bent due to sustained pressure that had
been occurring on the top portion of the metal foam
piece.

The
compression test results shows that the maximum load on the structure more than
normal AA6061 (17.66KN) which is 19.05 KN which for sample M-2 and the
elongation of the material is improved in negative because it is a compressive load
acting on a unit area of 10mm diameter and 40mm length.

Sample M-2
The compression results show that the percentage of compression is -29.98. This
shows that the porosity of the foam is very low since the compression is very less
and the air gaps does not allow the material to have a compressive load acting on
it.

Sample M-2

The resultant component is given in fig and this shows that there
is lot of cracking on the surface of the material which leads to a
lot of cracking on the surface of the material.

Tensile test results

UTM for 10 ton machine specifications:
Hardness test results

Hardness is a characteristic of a material, not a fundamental physical property. It is

defined as the resistance to indentation, and it is determined by measuring the
permanent depth of the indentation.
Machine Name : Micro Vickers Hardness Tester
Testing load range :10 grams to 1 Kg Load
Make : Wilson Wolpert – Germany
Vernier caliper least count : 0.01 mm
Available Hardness testing Scale : HV, HRA, HRC, 15N, 30N etc.,
The Vickers hardness test method, also referred to as a micro hardness test
method, is mostly used for small parts, thin sections, or case depth work.

fig
Opposing indenter faces are set at a 136 degree angle from one another.

The Vickers method is based on an optical measurement system. The Micro

hardness test procedure, ASTM E-384, specifies a range of light loads using a
diamond indenter to make an indentation which is measured and converted to a
hardness value. It is very useful for testing on a wide type of materials, but test
samples must be highly polished to enable measuring the size of the impressions.
A square base pyramid shaped diamond is used for testing in the Vickers scale.

Sample I.D Loc-1 Loc-2 Loc-3

B3 110.0 112.5 112.4
B4 68.7 85.3 73.8
Charpy Impact test
The Charpy impact test, also known as the Charpy V-notch test, is a standardized
high strain-rate test which determines the amount of energy absorbed by a
material during fracture. The purpose of impact testing is to measure an object's
ability to resist high-rate loading. It is usually thought of in terms of two objects
striking each other at high relative speeds.

Sample I.D Joules

B4 8.9
B5 4.3

REFERENCES

 Marco Haesche, Dirk Lehmhus, J¨org Weise, Manfred Wichmann;(2010);”

Carbonates as Foaming Agent in Chip-based Aluminium Foam Precursor”, vol-
26(9), PP.845-850.

 Khalid Almadhoni, Sabah Khan;(2015);” Review of Effective Parameters of

Stir Casting Process on Metallurgical Properties of Ceramics Particulate Al
Composites”, Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSR-JMCE), Volume
12, Issue 6 Ver. IV (Nov.-Dec. 2015), PP 22-40.
 Hongjie Luo, Hao Lin, Zhihui Zhao, Yihan Liu, Guangchun Yao;(2014);”
Preparation of aluminum foam sandwich reinforced by steel sheets ”; 8th
International Conference on Porous Metals and Metallic Foams, Metfoam 2013;
Procedia Materials Science Volume 4;PP39 – 43 .

 Alexandra Byakovaa, Yuri Bezim’yannya, Svyatoslav Gnyloskurenkob,

TakashiNakamuraca;(2014);” Fabrication method for closed-cell aluminium foam
with improved sound absorption ability”; 8th International Conference on Porous
Metals and Metallic Foams, Metfoam 2013; Procedia Materials Science 4;PP 39-43.

 M.F. Ashby, O.B. Olurin, N.A. Fleck;(2000);” Deformation and fracture of

aluminium foams”; Materials Science and Engineering A291 (2000);PP 136–146.

 Z. Hussain,N. S. A. Suffin;(2012);”Microstructure and Mechanical behaviour

of Aluminium produced by Sintering Dissolution process using NaCl”,Journal on
engineering science, volume 7,PP 37-49.

 Chin-Jye Yu, Harald H. Eifert,John Banhart,Joachim Baumeister;(1998);”

Metal foaming by a powder metallurgy method: Production, properties and
applications”, Mat Res Innovat (1998);volume 2,PP 181–188.