The application of increased pressure was used as a strategy to investigate the effect of different cell structures on the mechanical properties of Al-TiB2 composite foams. In situ Al-xTiB2 (x = 5, 10 wt.%) composites were foamed under three different pressures (0.1 MPa, 0.24 MPa, 0.4 MPa) through the liquid melt route. The macro-structure of the composite foams was analyzed in terms of cell size distribution measured by X-ray microcomputed tomography (micro-CT). It was found that the mean cell size decreases, and the cell size distribution range narrows with increasing pressure. Uniaxial compression tests revealed that the stress fluctuation (Rsd) of 10TiB2 foams is larger than that of 5TiB2 foams under the same pressure. Moreover, cell size refinement causes the simultaneous deformation of multi-layer cells, which leads to an enhancement in the energy absorption efficiency and specific energy absorption. The comparison of experimental data with theoretical predictions (G&A model) is discussed.
Keywords: deformation behavior; energy absorption efficiency; foaming pressure; in situ TiB2 composite foams.