Chris Veazey

Amorphous metallic foam

The bulk glass forming alloy Pd43Ni10Cu27P20 is processed into a low-density amorphous metallic foam. Pd43Ni10Cu27P20 is mixed with hydrated B2O3, which releases gas at elevated temperature and/or low pressure. Very homogeneous foams are achieved due to the high viscosity of the alloy even at its liquidus temperature. By processing at the liquidus temperature and decreasing the pressure to 10^–2 mbar, well-distributed bubbles expand to foam the material. Foam densities as low as 1.4×10^3 kg/m^3 were obtained, corresponding to a bubble volume fraction of 84%. The bubble diameter ranges between 2×10^–4 and 1×10^–3 m. Thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry confirms the amorphous nature of the foam. Furthermore, it reveals that the foams thermal stability is comparable to the bulk material.

Synthesis method for amorphous metallic foam

A synthesis method for the production of amorphous metallic foam is introduced. This method utilizes the thermodynamic stability and thermoplastic formability of the supercooled liquid state to produce low-density amorphous metallic foams in dimensions that are not limited to the critical casting thickness. The method consists of three stages: the prefoaming stage, in which a large number of small bubbles are created in the equilibrium liquid under pressure; the quenching stage, in which the liquid prefoam is quenched to its amorphous state; the foam expansion stage, in which the amorphous prefoam is reheated to the supercooled liquid region and is processed under pressures substantially lower than those applied in the prefoaming step. Results from a dynamic model suggest that the foam expansion process is feasible, as the kinetics of bubble expansion in the supercooled liquid region are faster than the kinetics of crystallization. Within the proposed synthesis method, bulk amorphous foam products characterized by bubble volume fractions of as high as 85% are successfully produced.

High porosity metallic glass foam : A powder metallurgy route

A powder metallurgy route to the fabrication of metallic glass foam is introduced. The method involves consolidating metallic glass powder blended with blowing agent particulates to produce expandable precursors, capable of yielding foams with porosities as high as 86%. The foams are found to inherit the strength of the parent metallic glass and to be able to deform heavily toward full densification absorbing high amounts of energy.