International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

Porous materials are very efficient in absorbing mechanical energy, for instance, in combined armor, in order to improve the anti-ballistic protection characteristics. In the present study, porous titanium-based structures were manufactured via powder metallurgy methods using titanium hydride (TiH2) powder, which provided activated sintering, owing to dehydrogenation. The emission of hydrogen and shrinkage of powder particles on dehydrogenation also added a potential to control the sintering process and create desirable porosities. TiH2 powder was sintered with additions of ammonium as pore holding removable agents. The microstructures and porosities of sintered dehydrogenated titanium with different concentration ammonium were comparatively studied. Mechanical characteristics were evaluated using compression testing with strain rates varying from quasi-static to high levels. All testing methods were aimed at characterizing the energy-absorbing ability of the obtained porous structures. The desired strength, plasticity and energy-absorbing characteristics of porous titanium based structures were assessed, and the possibilities of their application were also discussed.

Currently, metallic materials featuring a porous structure are extensively employed in passive safety mechanisms for absorbing mechanical energy during dynamic loads. Among these, aluminum foam-based damping materials are the most prevalent due to their adequate processability and cost-effectiveness. Nonetheless, expanding the array of properties within damping materials necessitates exploring the utilization of porous titanium-based products, known for possessing exceptional specific strength metrics. This avenue emerges as one of the most promising ways for advancing the domain of damping and energy-absorbing materials.