Preparation and performance of porous aluminum by gel-casting

The porous aluminum with complex shape was prepared by gel-casting, in order to develop new preparation technology and improve performance of porous aluminum. The effects of the solid loading of concentrated suspension and sintering temperature on density, porosity, micro-structure and anti-compressive properties of porous aluminum were discussed. The results show that the density and anti-compression properties increased with rising solid loading of concentrated suspension. The optimum sintering temperature of porous aluminum were 680℃, without sintering aids. Porous aluminum products were obtained with open-cell, average pore diameter of 3. 82μm, compression strength of 76. 8MPa, specific surface area above 0. 12m2/g. And the controllable range of porosity was between 34%-53%.