An Application of Computer Tomography for Structure Characterization of Metallic-Ceramic Composite Foam

Abstract

Authors of the paper present structures of composite metallic-ceramic foams (Al11SiC) of characteristic internal composition, produced at Maritime University of Szczecin. Diversification of pore size and structure of composite walls is present. The foams are manufactured by injection of a gas into a liquid composite using a special device, which allows to realize the foam manufacturing process in a continuous manner. This device also allows to control the parameters of the foaming process, which results in possibility of influencing, among other things, the size and the size distribution of formed gas bubbles. After manufacturing foams with both homogeneous and diversified gas pores, basic mechanical properties of these foams were examined, revealing a connection with their structure. Possibilities of applied research methods, utilizing a microscope and a tomograph, were also presented. Methods using computer image analysis were selected for the structure description.