Effect of Blowing Agent CaCO3 Content on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AA 5083 Foam.

In the present investigation, AA 5083 foam structures were fabricated, and the quasi-static uniaxial loading behavior of AA 5083 foam with varying concentration of blowing agent (CaCO3) was studied. Also, the effect of the CaCO3 blowing agent on the foam features such as pore size, pore circularity, pore distribution, and cell wall thickness was also carried out. It was observed that with the increase in CaCO3 (wt%), the relative density of the foam and the plateau stress, and the energy absorption of the foam get reduced. The influence of blowing agent on the pore features such as pore size and distribution seemed to be minimal; therefore, no significant improvement in the pore circularity was found. The quasi-static compression test results have got affected due to the varying plastic strength of the foam that resulted due to changes in the pore size and circularity. However, a detailed analysis of the dependence of these AA 5083 foam features (porosity, pore size distribution, and circularity) on CaCO3 blowing agent is discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]