The effects of manufacturing parameters on geometrical and mechanical properties of copper foams produced by space holder technique

We describe a powder metallurgical space holder method to produce open-cell metallic foams. By changing the values of the main manufacturing parameters such as volume percentage and the particle size of the space holder agent, we produce different copper foam samples which cover a wide range of solid fraction, pore size and cell wall thickness. All the specimens were synthesized based on a series of designed experiments. We demonstrate how the foams’ density, cell size and specific surface area can be accurately controlled using two easily adjustable manufacturing parameters. The three-dimensional structure of these foams was investigated using X-ray micro tomography. The image quality is sufficient to measure local structure and connectivity of the foamed material, and the field of view large enough to calculate material properties. By combining the finite element method with the tomographic images, we calculate the mechanical response of the foams. We show that the foams’ bulk and shear moduli are strongly correlated to their cell size, cell wall thickness and specific surface area. These parameters can be easily controlled during manufacturing.