Investigating the machinability of alloyed aluminum foams by metal cutting

Aluminum foam materials are the new generation materials that have managed to attract attention in many technological fields, including the defense industry. It is inevitable that aluminum foam materials will be preferred in many applications in future due to their high recycling rates, mechanical energy absorption under compressive loads and high sound and heat insulation properties. In spite of these desirable properties, there is not enough work in the literature about machinability aluminum foams by metal cutting. In this study, the machinability of an aluminum foam billet with a density of 0.85 g/cm3 produced via melt route is discussed. The final product was obtained by milling and drilling operations on the aluminum foam billet. The effects of different cutting parameters in machining processes are investigated and optimum cutting conditions are tried to be established. In the present study, the test piece to be produced by Al foam material by machining is a part to be used for military purposes and the quality of both manufacturing and assembly processes is of great importance. The reason for the high density of the material compared to the other foam applications is the military use of the part.