Effect of SiC on microstructural features and compressive properties of aluminum foam

Composite aluminum-SiC foam was manufactured by injection of air and addition of reinforcement particles into the liquid aluminum. Microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al/SiC foams were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and compression tests. Results showed that both the cell size and the wall thickness augmented with increasing of the SiC reinforcement particles; while SiC particles resulted in the reduction of the plateau border length. With more SiC particles, plateau stress became larger; but maximum plateau strain became smaller. The stress-strain curves exhibited serrations in the plateau region due to addition of the SiC particles.