Application of Taguchi method for the multi-objective optimization of aluminium foam manufacturing parameters

Abstract

In this study the Taguchi method is used to find the optimal process parameters for aluminium foam manufacturing. Porous metals are the unique materials used for light weight structural components, for filters and electrodes and for shock or sound absorbing products. Recently, interesting foaming technology developments have proposed metallic foams as a valid commercial chance. Metallic foam manufacturing techniques include solid state powder methods, gas blowing processes, metal deposition onto a polymer precursor and liquid state processing. The aluminium foams presented in this study are produced by the powder metallurgy route starting from aluminium powders with titanium hydride as the foaming agent. During the experimental work, many samples are made by utilizing the combination of process parameters based on Taguchi orthogonal design. Three manufacturing parameters are studied: the silicon carbide content in powder mixture, the compaction pressure and the foaming temperature. The Taguchi method is applied to design an orthogonal experimental array and a multi-objective optimization approach is then proposed by simultaneously minimizing the relative density and maximizing the absorbed energy. Verification test is also performed to prove the effectiveness of the presented technique.