| Summary: | The application of increased pressure was used as a strategy to investigate the effect of different cell structures on the mechanical properties of Al-TiB<sub>2</sub> composite foams. In situ Al-xTiB<sub>2</sub> (x = 5, 10 wt.%) composites were foamed under three different pressures (0.1 MPa, 0.24 MPa, 0.4 MPa) through the liquid melt route. The macro-structure of the composite foams was analyzed in terms of cell size distribution measured by X-ray microcomputed tomography (micro-CT). It was found that the mean cell size decreases, and the cell size distribution range narrows with increasing pressure. Uniaxial compression tests revealed that the stress fluctuation (R<sub>sd</sub>) of 10TiB<sub>2</sub> foams is larger than that of 5TiB<sub>2</sub> foams under the same pressure. Moreover, cell size refinement causes the simultaneous deformation of multi-layer cells, which leads to an enhancement in the energy absorption efficiency and specific energy absorption. The comparison of experimental data with theoretical predictions (G&A model) is discussed.
|
|---|
