#TITLE_ALTERNATIVE#

• Main Author: FIDA HELMI (NIM 13703040), MUHAMMAD
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/8705
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Vehicle design have more advancement, particularly because the consideration about weight and passenger safety. Aluminum foam was discovered have material properties combination which can be applied for light-weight construction, energy absorption and acoustic control. The production challenge is how to find the route of process which have the cheapest cost, but still produce good mechanical characteristic. Direct foaming-melt based process identified as the most promising for cost-effective large-scale production. Then, the using of CaCO3 as foaming agent become main focus in this research.<p>The main objective of this research is manufacturing aluminum foam by melt based process route, using foaming CaCO3 as foaming agent, and study the phenomenon that related. The influence of ratio of foaming agent mixture, process temperature, and porosity structure are also investigated related with mechanical properties. The research method is started with foaming agent CaCO3 : Al powder mixture preparation, aluminum foam manufacturing process, and product characterization. The product characterizations are density measurement, microscopy (photo & SEM), XRD spectroscopy and compressive test.<p>The optimum product density 0.83 gr/cc is produced by mixture ratio CaCO3 : Al powder = 10:3, and process temperature = 7500C. Differentiation of foam structure pattern is controlled by viscosity, pressure gradient, and deformation process at foaming. Decomposition of CaCO3 is supported by other reaction with Al(l) and alloying element such as Fe(s) and Mg(S). The evidence of support reaction is obtained with thin film of Al2O3 at T=7500C; FeO and MgO at T=6500C on cell surface. Compressive test curve not only depends on density, but cell morphology distribution and failure mechanism also. The optimum absorption energy, 1.38 MJ/m3, is obtained on sample with ratio of CaCO3 : Al powder =10:3 and T=6500C. Failure mode of sample T=6500C is ductile, because of strain hardening phenomena. Sample T=7500C have brittle failure, because aluminum oxide film on cell surface. <br />