In-situ high-resolution X-ray CT observation of compressive and damage behaviour of aluminium foams by local tomography technique

The in-situ high-resolution observation of compressive and damage behavior of aluminum foams by a local tomography technique, X-ray CT, is discussed. The relationship between microstructural features and fracture behavior were assessed by the 3D local strain mapping using the local tomography technique and an in-situ test rig. The micro-cracks were mainly initiated from the micropores with the diameters of more than 30 μm and the micropores have higher tendency for crack initiation. The micro-crack length was compared with the diameter and is was shown that the cracks from the large micropores advanced faster that those from the small micropores and were longer than those in the cell walls. The results of the local strain mapping show that the edges of the coarse micropores had large strain under compression which is consistent with the observation on crack initiation.