Foam metal production and determination of mechanical properties

In today's technology, the materials should have high strength and also they must be light in weight. Aluminum metal foam can also be seen as an alternative since they have an ability to absorb energy and low density In this study, the aim is to explain the open cell foam metal production from 7075 Aluminum alloy by vacuum method, understanding the precipitation hardening process of such materials and determining the mechanical properties of the sample as a result of this procedure. Rock salt is used as space holder in the production of open cell 7075 Aluminum foam. In the production method; the aluminum is melted at 730 0C and it is poured to the preheated salt and by vacuuming, the aluminum penetrates between the salt particles. ( Low Pressure Casting Method). In the last step the salts are cleared away by dissolving in the water and the open cell foam metal production is completed. In this study, open cell foam metals are produced with three different pore scales. In the production process of these samples, during the precipitation hardening, three different aging processes is applied and their mechanical specifications are observed. The effect of the aging process and the materials densities are observed in the compressive strength. Keywords: Open-Cell Foam Metal, Precipitation Hardening , Rock Salt , Density , Compressive Strength, Replication