Open Cell Al-Si Foams by a Sintering and Dissolution Process

Open cell foams from AlSi12 alloy were successfully fabricated by the Sintering and Dissolution Process, using NaCl as space holder (60 %). The size of the aluminum alloy powder is less than 45 μm, while the space holder powder size is 315-500 μm, 630-800 μm and 800-1250 μm respectively. The appropriate quantities of alloy powder and salt were mixed and cold pressed at 250 MPa. The sintering process was done at 500 °C and 545 °C, in vacuum (10-5 torr) for 10, 20 and 30 minutes respectively. The space holder was eliminated by holding the sintered samples in running hot water (70 °C). After the salt was dissolved, the samples were dried and the mass loss was analyzed. Keywords: Aluminum foam…