PRODUCTION OF CLOSED-CELL ALUMINUM FOAM - BASED SANDWICH STRUCTURES BY POWDER METALLURGY TECHNIQUE

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Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Gazi University, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Turkey

Approval Date: 2010

Thesis Language: Turkish

Student: Hüseyin DEMİRTAŞ

Supervisor: Mehmet Türker

Abstract:

Aim of this thesis is to produce light sandwich structure by using foam - based aluminum matrix and aluminum surface plates by Powder Metallurgy (PM) technique. Production was carried out in three steps; preparation of foam materials, formation of sandwich structure and foaming. Due to low melting temperature, the foaming material was prepared from three different powder mixture (AlSi7, AlSi14 and AlSi14Cu4,5) by powder metallurgy technique. In the mixtures, % 0,6 TiH2 (titanium hydride) was used as a foaming agent. The preferred powder mixtures were foamed at various temperatures (600 ºC – 710 ºC) and times (7 min - 50 min). At the end of the experimental studies, the sandwich structure having foam-based aluminum matrix and aluminum surface plates was produced with no need to use an intermediate binder. Among the sandwich foams produced here, it was determined that AlSi14Cu4,5 mixture came to the front in terms of good pore morphology, low melting temperature, high strength even though its brittle behavior.