Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS)

DoITPoMS Micrograph Library Full Record for Micrograph 634

Full Record for Micrograph 634

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Micrograph no
634
Brief description
Solid-gas eutectic solidification (Gasar) aluminium foam
Keywords
alloy Link to MATTER Glossary entry for alloy, aluminium Link to MATTER Glossary entry for aluminium, aluminium foam, cell Link to MATTER Glossary entry for cell, composite foam, composite material Link to MATTER Glossary entry for composite material, eutectic Link to MATTER Glossary entry for eutectic, foam Link to MATTER Glossary entry for foam, gas, Gasar, hydrogen, metal
Categories
Foam, Metal or alloy, Metal or alloy composite foam
System
Al
Composition
Not specified
Standard codes
Reaction
Under controlled pressure, a gas-solid eutectic can be exploited to foam aluminium
Processing
Applications
Closed cell aluminium foams are an ultra-light material, with potential structural applications in transport and construction. They may also be used in energy absorbing structures and heat exchangers
Sample preparation
Technique
Photography (no microscope)
Length bar
120 μm
Further information
The metal to be foamed is melted in an autoclave with a controlled pressure of hydrogen, so that the melt becomes saturated with hydrogen. The melt is then directionally solidified and as it cools through the solid-gas eutectic point, it becomes supersaturated. A two phase solid/gas mixture is simultaneously formed from the melt, yielding an anisotropic porous solid with cylindrical pores oriented in the solidification direction.
Contributor
Dr V Gergely
Organisation
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Date
03/10/02
Licence for re-use
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International