Dynamic Collapse Mechanisms in Metal Foam Expansion

The study provides insight into decomposition of titanium hydride as foaming agent for powder metallurgically produced aluminum foams. Decomposition is characterized using thermal and kinetic analysis, allowing prediction of decomposition reactions. Such predictions are made for various time–temperature cycles, which are experimentally evaluated in parallel foaming experiments. A new explanation of foam collapse is derived from the results, which interprets hints at a maximum gas release rate, limiting maximum expansion, in terms of the existence of a maximum cell wall stretching rate and expanding foam can sustain. Thus a dynamic collapse criterion is added to existing static ones.     

Preparation of Microcellular Epoxy Foams through a Limited‐Foaming Process: A Contradiction with the Time–Temperature–Transformation Cure Diagram

3D cross‐linking networks are generated through chemical reactions between thermosetting epoxy resin and hardener during curing. The curing degree of epoxy material can be increased by increasing curing temperature and/or time. The epoxy material must then be fully cured through a postcuring process to optimize its material characteristics. Here, a limited‐foaming method is introduced for the preparation of microcellular epoxy foams (Lim‐foams) with improved cell morphology, high thermal expansion coefficient, and good compressive properties. Lim‐foams exhibit a lower glass transition temperature (T_g) and curing degree than epoxy foams fabricated through free‐foaming process (Fre‐foams). Surprisingly, however, the T_g of Lim‐foams is unaffected by postcuring temperature and time. This phenomenon, which is related to high gas pressure in the bubbles, contradicts that indicated by the time–temperature–transformation cure diagram. High bubble pressure promotes the movement of molecular chains under heating at low temperature and simultaneously suppresses the etherification cross‐linking reaction during post‐curing.     

Mg Alloy Foam Fabrication via Melt Foaming Method

For the first time AZ91 （MgAl9Zn1） and AM60 （MgAl6） Mg alloy foams with homogeneous pore structures were prepared successfully via melt foaming method using CaCO3 as blowing agent. It is revealed that the blowing gas to foam the melt is not CO2 but CO, which comes from liquid-solid reaction between Mg melt. The reaction temperature is more than 100℃ lower than CaCO3 decomposition, which makes Mg alloy melts foam into cellular structure much more easily in the temperature range from 690℃ to 750℃.     

Effect of Decomposition Kinetics of Titanium Hydride on the Al Alloy Melt Foaming Process

The gas released from the titanium hydride decomposition is one of the key factors to influence the Al alloy melt foaming process.In this study,a set of decomposition kinetic equations of titanium hydride was acquired by separating its temperature programmed decomposition(TPD) spectrum,which was acquired by a special designed TPD apparatus with argon used as carrier gas and thermal conductivity cell as the detector.According to these equations,the decomposition and hydrogen release characteristics of titanium hydride at a fixed/elevated temperature are described quantitatively,which can be applied to forecast the Al alloy melt foaming process and furnish the theoretical basis for fabrication of three-dimensional complex shaped Al alloy foam.     

Fabrication and investigation of influence of CaCO3 as foaming agent on Al-SiCp foam

Closed cell aluminum foams have been used in various disciplines of engineering. Aluminum foams provide high strength with the advantage of low weight. In the current research, CaCO₃ is used as a foaming agent for producing closed-cell aluminum foams. For the fabrication of homogenous foam, optimization of process parameters was done. The effect of SiC as a thickening agent on structural property of foams viz. density and porosity have been inspected. Foams with density 0.40–0.86 g/cm³ were produced. The produced foams were studied under axial compression tests for evaluating mechanical properties. It can be inferred from the results that by adding 3 wt.% CaCO₃, the uniform viscosity of melt was achieved and a homogeneous foam structure is achieved with optimum porosity. Also, 5 wt.% addition of CaCO₃ in melt and stirring speed at 1400 rpm tend to increase porosity and decrease cell wall thickness. The optimum values for thickening agent SiC, foaming agent CaCO₃ at stirring speed 1400 rpm were found out to be 15 wt.%, 3 wt.%. The effect of relative density, the addition of thickening and foaming agent is studied.     

Enhancing the strength of pre-made foams for foam concrete applications

Chemical and mechanical foaming techniques are commonly used in foam concrete technology for developing lightweight construction materials. The characteristics of the foam before the lightweight structure sets and maintains its shape has a great impact on the properties of foamed concretes. The tendency of the foams to coalesce and collapse during the preparation process brings some challenges in controlling the properties of cellular structures. Consequently, it is critical to improve the stability of fresh foams in order to produce high quality cellular structures using a predictable and reliable approach. Aggregating the liquid film around bubbles is known to be effective in improving the stability of foams, but the impact of this stabilizing method has not been investigated for foam concrete applications. In this paper, Xanthan gum (with a thickening capacity) has been utilized as the foam stabilizer to aggregate the liquid film. This stabilizing method is shown to significantly enhance the pore size distribution of foam concretes. The resulting pre-made foams are remarkably more stable than the control foam, and the mechanical properties of the final cellular structure are considerably improved (about 34% in mechanical foaming and 20% in the chemical foaming technique).     

The relationship between thermal decomposition properties of titanium hydride and the Al alloy melt foaming process

Using a new temperature programmed decomposition (TPD) theory and related experimental technique, a set of thermal decomposition kinetics equations of titanium hydride can be acquired by separating and simulating its TPD spectrum. According to these equations, the relation curve of decomposition quantity and time for titanium hydride at temperature of 940 K is obtained and the result coincides well with the Al alloy melt foaming process, which provides a scientific basis for controlling the Al alloy melt foam and then the Al alloy foams with different pore structure are successfully prepared.     

A novel technology to manufacture biodegradable polylactide bead foam products

Bead foaming technology with double crystal melting peak structure has been recognized as a promising method to produce high-performance low-density foams with complex geometries. Polylactide (PLA) bead foaming has been of the great interest of researchers due to its origin from renewal resources and biodegradability. However, due to the PLA’s low melt strength and slow crystallization kinetics, the attempts have been limited to the manufacturing methods used for expanded polystyrene (EPS). In this study, we developed microcellular PLA bead foams with double crystal melting peak structure in a large content using a lab-scale autoclave system followed by molding of the beads. PLA bead foams were produced with expansion ratios and average cell sizes ranging from 6 to 31-fold and 6 to 50 μm, respectively. The high-melting point crystals generated during gas-saturation significantly affected the expansion ratio and cell density of the PLA bead foams by enhancing the PLA’s melt strength and promoting cell nucleation around the crystals. The tensile properties of the molded EPLA bead foams showed that EPLA bead foams with double crystal melting peak can be a promising substitute not only for EPS but also for expanded polypropylene (EPP) bead foams.     

淀粉基复合发泡材料的加工流变特性及其泡孔形态

以玉米淀粉为基体,辅以相应的增塑剂和发泡剂,利用挤出发泡法制备了淀粉基复合发泡材料。运用双料筒毛细管流变仪研究了甘油增塑剂、NaHCO3发泡剂含量对淀粉基复合发泡材料流变行为的影响。采用扫描电镜（SEM）研究了不同熔体黏度对泡孔形态的影响。结果表明：淀粉基复合发泡材料的熔体流动特性表现为假塑性;随着甘油含量的增加,熔体黏度逐渐下降;随着NaHCO3含量的增加,熔体黏度先下降后提升;随着熔体黏度的降低,熔体内泡孔数量减少,孔径增大,当熔体黏度为1 200 Pa·s时,泡孔大小适中且分布均匀。     

The Effect of Prior Deformation on the Foaming Behavior of “FORMGRIP” Precursor Material

It is shown that extrusion of “FORMGRIP” precursor material prior to baking leads to accelerated foaming and finer, more uniform cell structures. This effect is correlated with microstructural observations made on the precursor materials and on the foams. It is thought that, while extrusion apparently does not extensively fracture the gas‐generating hydride particles, it does induce some damage to their protective surface oxide layers. Removal of the porosity normally present in as‐cast precursors may also be beneficial.     

聚丁二酸丁二醇酯离聚物微孔发泡性能

聚丁二酸丁二醇酯(PBS)综合性能优越,但因熔体黏度低而难以用于制备微孔塑料。论文采用离子化改性提高PBS熔体黏度,用于超临界二氧化碳(sc-CO_2)发泡。将丁二酸与丁二醇预缩聚后,添加二乙醇胺盐酸盐和二异腈酸六亚甲基酯(HDI)进行扩链反应,制备氨基离子浓度(UIC)为1%~5%的PBS离聚物(PBSUI),再以sc-CO_2发泡制备PBSUI微孔塑料。采用动态流变仪和X射线衍射测试PBSUI的流变行为和结晶性能,随着UIC的增加,由离子簇聚集产生的物理交联提高了PBSUI的熔体黏度和松弛时间,发泡前后PBSUI结晶度和球晶的直径均降低。扫描电镜结果表明,随着UIC增加,PBSUI泡孔由圆形转变为多边形,泡孔平均直径(D)、壁厚和开孔率下降,而泡孔密度(N_f)和发泡倍率则上升。当UIC为3%,PBSUI的D为2.05μm,N_f达1.73×10~(10)cm~(-3),发泡倍率超过10,由离子簇聚集引起的物理交联和异相成核作用,显著提高了PBSU的发泡性能,获得了泡孔形态良好的微孔泡沫塑料。     

Investigation and characterisation of aluminium alloy foams with TiH2 as a foaming agent

This article presents an account of experiments used to produce aluminium alloy foams by the melt route process using titanium hydride as a foaming agent. Powdered titanium hydride with content of 0.4–1.4% (mass fraction) was added to the molten pure aluminium and the foaming condition was controlled at 690°C (1274°F). In the process, homogeneous aluminium foams were produced with a calcium amount of 1.0–3.0% (mass fraction). The mechanical properties of the aluminium foams with diverse relative density were tested. The result indicates that the foaming agent is suitable for making small aperture aluminium foams with an average pore diameter of 1.2?mm.     

防锈闭孔泡沫Al-Mg-Re基合金的制备与性能

在熔体发泡法制备工艺基础上,引入合金化阻燃技术,制备了Al-Mg-Re基防锈闭孔泡沫铝合金.实验结果表明,熔体发泡前同时加入Mg、Ca和稀土制备的防锈闭孔泡沫Al-Mg-Re基合金孔结构均匀,由于Mg和稀土元素的双重作用,Al-Mg-Re基防锈闭孔泡沫铝合金具有优异的耐腐蚀性能.     

PET结晶形态对其微孔发泡材料泡孔结构的影响

以CO2为发泡剂,针对三种具有不同初始结晶形态的聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)原料进行间歇固态发泡的研究.结果表明,CO2的溶胀作用会导致PET晶片的显著增厚,而显著增厚的晶片会使微孔发泡材料的泡孔分布不均匀.但是对孔径和孔密度影响不大.调控PET的发泡条件制备泡孔.结构好的PIT微孔发泡材料方法之一是缩短溶胀时间,在...     

煤基炭泡沫孔结构调控

以肥煤镜质组富集物为前驱体, 采用高压渗氮法制备煤基炭泡沫, 研究了发泡温度、发泡压力和发泡时间对炭泡沫孔结构的影响。利用SEM观察炭泡沫的孔胞形貌, 同时利用Nano Measurer分析软件统计SEM照片孔胞直径分布和孔喉直径分布以及平均孔径。结果表明: 微孔塑料成核理论可以定性解释炭泡沫的孔结构变化趋势。发泡温度的升高导致成核密度增加, 同时导致气体在胶质体的溶解度降低, 不利于孔胞长大。发泡压力的增大导致炭泡沫的孔胞密度增加, 临界成核半径降低, 同时加剧了热聚合反应, 导致胶质体的粘度增大, 不利于孔胞长大。发泡时间的延长会使热聚合更加充分, 影响胶质体粘度, 进而影响孔结构。     

Microstructure and thermal decomposition property of Ni-P/Cr2N composite powder by electroless plating

Cr₂N is the most promising blowing agent for the preparation of steel foam using melt foaming method. In this work, to obtain a blowing agent with suitable density and gas decomposition characteristics for steel melt foaming, Ni-P/Cr₂N composite powder was prepared by electroless plating. The surface morphology, phase, coating thickness, density and decomposition characteristics of Ni-P/Cr₂N composite powder were analyzed. The results indicate that the surface of Ni-P/Cr₂N composite coating powder is covered by the high nickel and low phosphorus layer which has a dense and uniform cell structure. The decomposition rate of the Ni-P/Cr₂N composite powder is 7.46?mW/mg slower than that of the uncoated Cr₂N powder at 1107.4?°C. When the plating time is 30?min, the thickness of Ni-P layer reaches 2.86?μm, the density of the Ni-P/Cr₂N composite powder is 7.45?g/cm³, and maximal decomposition rate temperature reaches 1500?°C. These findings suggested that Ni-P/Cr₂N composite powder meets the requirements of decomposition temperature and density of the blowing agent used to produce steel foam with a uniform pore structure by the melt foaming method.     

Thermal conductivity anisotropy in polypropylene foams prepared by supercritical CO2 dissolution

Different relative density polypropylene foams were prepared by means of two foaming processes: chemical foaming by compression moulding and physical foaming by high pressure CO₂ dissolution. By controlling the foaming parameters, such as blowing agent concentration, foaming temperature, pressure drop and pressure drop rate, it was possible to regulate the cellular structure, foams showing from markedly isotropic-like cellular structures to ones with highly-elongated cells in the vertical foam growth direction (honeycomb-like cell orientation). The thermal conductivity was measured using the transient plane source method. Using this technique, it was possible to measure the global conductivity and the thermal conductivity in both the axial and radial directions of a given sample. Results show that the global thermal conductivity of foams was mainly regulated by their relative density. In addition, the honeycomb-like cell orientation of the CO₂ dissolution foams resulted in considerably higher values in axial direction when compared to radial, demonstrating that there was a direct influence of cellular structure on the thermal conduction behaviour of these foams, enabling the development of new polypropylene foams with direction-dependent thermal properties.     

变模温与型腔气体反压辅助微孔发泡注塑技术及其产品内外泡孔结构演变

建立了一种变模温和型腔气体反压协同控制的微孔发泡注塑技术,研制了相应的变模温控制系统与型腔气体反压控制系统,构建了变模温与型腔气体反压辅助微孔发泡注塑试验线,并对变模温与型腔气体反压作用下的产品内外泡孔结构演变进行了研究。结果表明,变模温与型腔气体反压辅助工艺单独施加于微孔发泡注塑技术时,对其产品内外泡孔结构均具有双重影响:变模温可以改善产品大部分的表面形貌,但其对填充过程中的熔体发泡影响不大;型腔气体反压可以基本抑制填充过程中的熔体发泡,但却对产品内部泡孔密度有比较明显的降低影响。通过变模温与型腔气体反压的协同控制,可以实现微孔发泡注塑产品表面气泡形貌和内部泡孔结构的良好调控。     

Comparison of a low molecular weight and a macromolecular surfactant as foaming agents for injectable self setting hydroxyapatite foams: Polysorbate 80 versus gelatine

Hydroxyapatite foams are potential synthetic bone grafting materials or scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. A novel method to obtain injectable hydroxyapatite foams consists in foaming the liquid phase of a calcium phosphate cement. In this process, the cement powder is incorporated into a liquid foam, which acts as a template for macroporosity. After setting, the cement hardens maintaining the macroporous structure of the foam. In this study a low molecular weight surfactant, Polysorbate 80, and a protein, gelatine, were compared as foaming agents of a calcium phosphate cement. The foamability of Polysorbate 80 was greater than that of gelatine, resulting in higher macroporosity in the set hydroxyapatite foam and higher macropore interconnectivity. Gelatine produced less interconnected foams, especially at high concentrations, due to a higher liquid foam stability. However it increased the injectability and cohesion of the foamed paste, and enhanced osteoblastic-like cell adhesion, all of them important properties for bone grafting materials.