Effect of pore size on mechanical properties of titanium foams

In the study, both experimental work and numerical modeling are performed to investigate the pore size effects on the mechanical properties and deformation behaviours of titanium foams. Cylindrical titanium foam samples with different pore sizes are fabricated through powder metallurgy. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to determine the pore size, pore distribution and the ratios of the length to width of pores. Compressive tests are carried out to determine the mechanical properties of the titanium foams with different pore sizes. Finally, finite element modeling is attempted to simulate the deformation behaviour and the mechanical properties of the titanium foams. Results indicate that titanium foams with different pore sizes have different geometrical characteristics, which lead to different deformation behaviours of cell walls during compression, resulting in different mechanical properties of titanium foams.