Fabrication of Stainless Steel Foams Using Polymeric Sponge Impregnation Technology

Abstract

316L stainless steel foams (SSFs) are fabricated successfully by polymeric sponge impregnation technology. The effects of mass fractions of PVA and powder on LOAD in impregnated sponge samples are investigated, and the effects of sintering temperature on apparent density, open porosity and bending strength of SSFs samples are also discussed. The experimental results show that the impregnated sponge samples may hold excellent 3D open-cell network structure and uniform muscles when the mass fractions of PVA and powder in slurry are kept in 9-13 % and 52-75% respectively; with rising the sintering temperature, the apparent density and bending strength of SSFs gradually increases, the open porosity reduces. After the temperature exceeds 1260°C, the bending strength reduces oppositely. A stainless steel foam sample with open porosity of 81.4% and bending strength of about 56.8 Mpa can be obtained after sintering at 1260 °Cfor 30min.