Abstract
Porous aluminum is lightweight with high specific strength and high energy absorptivity. By applying porous aluminum as a multifunctional material in automobiles, improved collision safety and fuel efficiency can be realized. As a new method of manufacturing porous aluminum with high productivity and a low cost, the authors proposed a method utilizing friction stir processing, i.e., friction stir processing route precursor method (FSP route precursor method). In this study, porous aluminum is manufactured by the FSP route precursor method while varying the amount of added alumina, the holding temperature and holding time. On the basis of the experimental results, the effects of these manufacturing conditions on the porosity and pore structure are investigated. It is shown that porous aluminum with porosity up to 80% can be realized by optimizing the amount of added alumina, the holding temperature and holding time.
