Process imaging and metallic foams

Imaging tools are great instruments for materials development. New hardware developments provide enough spatial and time resolution for in-situ analysis. Imaging with X-ray and neutrons provides a way to study qualitatively and quantitatively processes in materials science.

Metallic foams are very attractive materials due to their exceptional properties and their industrial relevance. Their analysis and further development needs in-situ methods for the observation of their expansion evolution and macroscopic pore structure. Investigations with photons and neutrons are exceptional instruments for these analyses.

Research topics

• White beam imaging
  
• Foaming without blowing agent – Pressure induced foaming (PIF)
• Alloy development and studies about the gas nucleation phase for metal foaming
  
• Solidification of metal foams – Phase transformations during solidification, foam evolution during solidification studies in-situ using X-ray radioscopy
  
• Decomposition behaviour of blowing agent (TiH₂, ZrH₂) – Temperature dependent gas evolution studied using mass spectroscopy, phase transformation in blowing agent during heat-treatment studied in-situ by synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction
  
• Stabilization mechanisms in metal foams – Role of oxidation in the stability of particle-stabilized aluminium foam studied using single metallic film under controlled atmosphere. Application of grain refiners as submicron particles for stabilization
• Macrostructure analysis - By X-ray tomography and three-dimensional pore size distribution
• Analysis of liquid metal foams under microgravity conditions

Facilities

• Foam laboratory at Technical University Berlin
  Starting from the metallic powders or melt we are able to implement all manufacturing steeps for metallic foam production.
• Further Information (including lists of institutes and companies)