Influence of heat treatment on compression fatigue of aluminium foams

Metal foams were produced by means of the powder compact melting technique. Specimens were made of a wrought aluminium alloy similar in composition to AA 6061. A part of the samples was subjected to a precipitation hardening treatment after foaming, others were left in the state "as foamed". Cyclic tests were then carried out under compressive stresses. S-N curves of untreated and heat-treated foams are compared. Values for fatigue strength were estimated and compared to the static strength found for comparable specimens. As a reference system with a brittle failure mode foams based on the aluminium casting alloy AlSi7 are examined. (C) 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.