Enhancement of the mechanical strength of aluminum foams by SiC nanoparticles

1 vol% SiC nanoparticle reinforced aluminum (nano-SiCp/Al) composite foams and pure Al foams were manufactured by powder metallurgy with foaming agent CaCO3 in order to explore the effects of nanoparticles. The microstructure, compressive property and energy absorption of these foam materials were investigated. The microstructural characterization indicates that after adding the nanoparticles, the average pore diameter changes from millimeter to micrometer, meanwhile the average cell size decreases by 50.4%. It is found from the compressive experiments that under similar porosities, the addition of 1 vol% SIC nanoparticles induces a significant improvement of 194.5% in yield stress and 69.4% in energy absorption capacity compared with the pure Al foams. The comparative research reveals that a small addition of nanoparticles can not only improve the foam structure, but also significantly strengthen the metal and enhance energy absorption. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.