Mechanical properties and surface characterisation of aluminium foam made of Al 6101 subjected to cryogenic treatment - a comparative study

Aluminium alloy foams are highly utilised material because of their high ductility, low density, high thermal conductivity, and lesser cost. Cryogenics would be an unconventional methodology amongst the material fields for the improvement of mechanical properties. The cryogenic treatment of non-ferrous alloy foams will also produce more wear resistance and longer durability products. This research is to investigate the mechanical properties and microstructural characteristics of closed-cell aluminium foam made of Al 6101 aluminium alloy with different heat regimes namely heat treatment (HT), cryogenic treatment (CT), and cryogenic heat treatment (CHT). The experimental results reveal that the cryogenic treatment of Al 6101 foam decreases the elastic limit and leads to brittleness. A comparison of the stress-strain curve emphasises that the increase of brittleness in the CHT regime is due to the reduction of the elastic region and also the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images prove that the cryogenic treatment changes the morphology of aluminium alloy foam.