Aluminum Foam-Filled Steel Tube Fabricated from Aluminum Burrs of Die-Castings by Friction Stir Back Extrusion

Abstract

A mixture of Al burrs of Al high-pressure die-castings and a blowing agent powder was used to fabricate Al foam-filled steel tubes by friction stir back extrusion (FSBE). It was shown that the mixture can be sufficiently consolidated to form an Al precursor that is coated on the inner surface of a steel tube by the plastic flow generated during FSBE. Namely, a precursor coated steel tube can be fabricated from Al burrs by FSBE. By heat treatment of the precursor coated steel tube, an Al foam-filled steel tube can be fabricated. Al foam was sufficiently filled in the steel tube, and the porosity was almost homogeneously distributed in the entire sample. In compression tests of the samples, the Al foam-filled steel tube fabricated from Al burrs exhibited similar compression properties to an Al foam-filled steel tube fabricated from the bulk Al precursor. Consequently, it was shown that an Al foam-filled steel tube cost-effectively fabricated from Al burrs by FSBE compares favorably with an Al foam-filled steel tube fabricated from the bulk Al precursor.