Air Blowing Assisted Fabrication of Al–Si–Mg Foams by Melt-Foaming Route
摘要
Melt-foaming Al–Si–Mg foams have significant potential in fabricating shaped aluminum foam parts, offering a wide range of application opportunities. However, the current fabrication process for Al–Si–Mg foams is hindered by low productivity, necessitating a melt stirring process that exceeds 60 minutes to obtain stable foam structures. In this paper, we report an innovative air blowing assisted stirring technique, which can reduce the required stirring time by approximately two thirds while simultaneously enhancing the quality of foams. Oxide characterization reveals that the air blowing assisted stirring process could accelerate melt oxidation, promote the transformation from MgO to MgAl2O4, and increase the content of MgAl2O4 in the oxides formed. Model analysis shows that the efficiency of the air blowing assisted stirring process is determined by the area of the melt-air interface generated, a specific surface area coefficient β can be used to estimate the efficiency of air blowing assisted stirring process.