Damping properties of open cell microcellular pure Al foams

Damping behaviours of the open cell microcellular pure Al foams fabricated by sintering and dissolution process with the relative density of 0·31–0·42 and the pore size of 112–325 μm were investigated. The damping characterisation was conducted on a multifunction internal friction apparatus. The internal friction (IF) was measured at frequencies of 1·0, 3·0 and 6·0 Hz over the temperature range of 298–725 K. The measured IF shows that the open cell pure Al foam has a damping capacity that is enhanced in comparison with pure Al. At a lower temperature (∼400 K), the IF of the open cell pure Al foams increases with decreasing relative density, with decreasing pore size and with increasing frequency. The IF peak was found at the temperature range of 433–593 K in the IF curves. It is clear that the IF peak is relaxational type and the activation energy associated with the IF peak is about 1·60 ± 0·02 eV. Defect effects can be used to interpret the damping mechanisms.