Volume 52, Issue 2

The Department of Physical Metallurgy and Materials Testing of the Montanuniversität Leoben combines research and development activities in the field of high-performance materials. The Department's methodology and expertise is completed by a national and international network of research institutions and industrial partners. This synergetic approach to complex topics is one of the cornerstones of international visibility and competitiveness of the Department's research work.

This work presents open-pore metal foams made by investment casting from several pure metals. The resulting microstructure and its morphology will be characterized and compared to the microstructure of permanent mold cast round specimens. In addition to their manufacture, the preparation of the different samples for microstructural characterization is outlined. Finally, the individual microstructures are analyzed and compared by means of light microscopy and under consideration of relevant parameters. The comparison of metal foam and round specimen microstructures yields significant differences in the microstructural development.