Microstructural characterization and mechanical behaviourof duplex stainless steel 2205 (UNS32305) foams featured bydifferent pore distribution

Metal foams know a good success in all the applications needing low bulk density and attitude in lowering the vibration transmission. In such a context the realization of foams constituted by duplex stainless steels can open new perspectives in order to substitute light alloys in several applications needing corrosion resistance. The foams in steel are rare products for the difficulties in producing them, due to the high melting points featuring these alloys. The metal foams used in this study have been produced through an infiltration procedure licensed by Politecnico di Milano and they have been designed using different porosity distributions and through different thermal patterns. The heat treatment provided has been a solubilisation quenching to control the composition of biphasic microstructure characterizing a duplex steel. Such route has permitted to obtain foams characterized by a combination of different morphologies of porosities and of microstructural organization, i. e. different fraction of ferrite and austenite, whose mechanical behaviour has been studied through compression tests.