advances in foam material production/characterisation at awe · 2017. 4. 14. · title: awe master...

Advances in Foam Material

Production/Characterisation at AWE

Gareth Cairns

AWE Target Fabrication Group, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire, UK RG7 4PR

[email protected]

© British Crown Owned Copyright 2017/AWE

2

Contents

Materials overview

Copper foam

Metal oxide aerogels

Acknowledgements


Materials overview

3

Silica and Tantala

aerogels

Carbonised resorcinol

formaldehyde

Metallic and Plastic

coatings

Copper

foam

Iron oxide

aerogel

High internal phase

Emulsion foam


Copper foam Process

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Pd Coated

beads

Cu Plating

solution addedReduction

step

Cu coating of

beads

Slip casting Furnaced billet

Machined

billet

Density

determination

CT Analysis

Improvements:

• Plating process, uniform coating of the latex

beads.

• Ceramic grade plaster for slip casting.

• More emphasis on the cleanliness of the lab

and the working environment.


Effect of changing plaster of Paris

5

60% pass density specification 96% pass density specification


Automated void detectionwork in conjunction with Manufacturing Technology Centre

6© British Crown Owned Copyright 2017/AWE

Void detection

7

Phase 1 Phase 2


Void Validation

8

CT Scan

SEM Image

majority of billet

diameter

SEM Image

focussed on largest void


Copper conclusions

Yields Change in plaster of paris delivered improvement in the

density yields

Casting bigger billets has also delivered an increase in yield passing CT analysis now running at 22%

Work is continuing to increase yields further.

Automated void detection Software successfully identifies voids

Reports being developed

Automated sentencing of materials in next phase


Metal oxide aerogelswork in conjunction with Cranfield University

Two main synthetic routes

Catalysed hydrolysis and condensation of a metal

alkoxide (e.g. Ta(OEt)5) to form metal oxide gels

Use of epoxides as gelation initiators in the preparation

of sol-gel materials.

The second of these techniques is being affected

by REACH regulations


Impact of REACH

Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and

restriction of Chemicals

Propylene oxide (substance of very high concern

(SVHC))

Cranfield University assessed non SVHC’s Epoxybutane (EB), trimethylene oxide (TO), cyclohexene oxide (CO)


Project results

Considered iron, tungsten and bismuth with the

range of epoxides

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Bi(NO3)3.5H2O + TOWCl5 + EBFeCl3.6H2O + TO


Epoxide initiated iron oxide aerogels

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propylene oxide

trimethylene oxide

epoxybutane

cyclohexene oxide


Metal oxide aerogels conclusions

Successfully synthesised iron oxide aerogel

monoliths

Proven route using materials not considered

SVHC’s

Applicable for other metal oxides and techniques

have been integrated into AWE working practices


Future challenges

Improving polystyrene based HIPE yields or replacing HIPE materials with more robust materials

Lower density foams

Gold foams

Homogenous hydrocarbon foams grown in confined spaces

Materials adhesion (ultra thin bond lines/diffusion bonding)

Fully dense metallic coatings

Air sensitive materials

Single crystal targets


Acknowledgements

Copper foam

AWE: Cheryl MacQueen, Sav Chima, Leigh Reed,

Richard Taylor, Rachel Strickland, Ian Winter, Rob

Legge, John Webb

MTC: Nick Brierley, Melanie Bombardiere, Maria Felice

Metal Oxide Aerogels

AWE: Ian Hayes, Sav Chima, Ian Winter, Jim Lockyer

Cranfield University: Alberto Valls-Arrufat, Magdalena

Budziszewska, Paul Jones, Glenn Leighton, Clement

Lopez, Aymeric Nguyen, Jakub Sitek, Chris Shaw


advances in foam material production/characterisation at awe · 2017. 4. 14. · title: awe master...

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