Aluminium foams are of great interest for various industrial applications due to their outstanding properties, such as low weight and high stiffness. These are based not only on the matrix material itself, but also on the structure of the foam. Understanding the formation and development process of these foams is crucial to optimise their structure and thus, their properties. We present experiments that focus on observing and analysing these processes. The experiments presented were carried out using synchrotron X-ray sources, which enable high spatial and temporal resolution in time-resolved tomography (tomoscopy). This advanced imaging technique allows the dynamic changes during the manufacturing process of aluminium foams to be recorded in detail. The experiments carried out provide an example of the spatio-temporal resolutions currently achievable in X-ray tomoscopy, allowing the observation and quantitative analyses of e.g. pore nucleation or bubble coalescence. The results offer valuable insights into the mechanisms that influence the formation and development of aluminium foams and can therefore contribute to the optimisation of material properties. The study demonstrates the potential of time-resolved tomography for the investigation of complex material processes in general.
Kamm et al. (Tue,) studied this question.