Effect of Aluminum Porous Filling Methods on Mechanical Properties of Ordered- Disordered Porous Composite Structures

Herein, ordered porous aluminum is prepared using an indirect additive manufacturing method combining selective laser sintering (SLS) and infiltration casting process. Ordered porous aluminum samples with pore sizes of 7, 9, and 11 mm are prepared by varying the structure of the preforms. The pores of three types of ordered porous aluminum are filled with conventional disordered aluminum foam. Besides, ordered-disordered porous aluminum composite structures with two filling methods are designed and prepared. Afterward, the quasi-static compression test is conducted on the sample, and the microscopic analysis is performed on the compressed sample. The compression and energy absorption properties of the ordered-disordered porous composite structure are investigated according to the test results. The increasing amount of disordered aluminum foam suppresses the deformation. The effect of the filling method on the compressive properties of the samples changes as the pore size varied. Compared with the ordered porous structures, ordered-disordered porous composite structures demonstrate higher compressive strength and energy absorption capacity with significantly higher platform stress.