Failure mechanisms of closed-cell aluminum foam under monotonic and cyclic loading Original Research Article

This paper concentrates on the differences in failure mechanisms of Alporas closed-cell aluminum foam under either monotonic or cyclic loading. The emphasis lies on aspects of crack nucleation and crack propagation in relation to the microstructure. The cell wall material consists of Al dendrites and an interdendritic network of Al4Ca and Al22CaTi2 precipitates. In situ scanning electron microscopy monotonic tensile tests were performed on small samples to study crack nucleation and propagation. Digital image correlation was employed to map the strain in the cell wall on the characteristic microstructural length scale. Monotonic tensile tests and tension–tension fatigue tests were performed on larger samples to observe the overall fracture behavior and crack path in monotonic and cyclic loading. The crack nucleation and propagation path in both loading conditions are revealed and it can be concluded that during monotonic tension cracks nucleate in and propagate partly through the Al4Ca interdendritic network, whereas under cyclic loading cracks nucleate and propagate through the Al dendrites.