Effects of heat treatment on the compressive deformation behavior of open cell aluminum foams

This paper presents a study of effects of heat treatment on compressive deformation behavior of Duocel® open cell aluminum foams in as-fabricated (F), annealed (O) and T6-strengthened (T6) conditions. Following an investigation of the effects of heat treatment on foam strength and stress–strain behavior, heterogeneous nature of the compressive deformation was then elucidated using a combination of experimental investigation and digital image correlation (DIC) technique. DIC analyses were carried out on image sets that were recorded using an in situ digital camera during compressive testing. The significant effects of heat treatment processes on foam compressive strengths, stress–strain behavior, and deformation mechanisms are then attributed to the changes of the microstructure and micro-scale mechanical property of individual struts due to annealing and T6-strengthening processes.