Influence of process parameters of friction stir processing on the fabrication of metal foam

Friction stir processing is one of the most effective technique for the fabrication of surface composites by the insertion of reinforced particles on various materials such as aluminium, copper, magnesium etc. Being a green manufacturing technique, it is extensively explored for surface and microstructural modification as well as for the enhancement of mechanical and tribological properties of the material. Nowadays this technique is found very promising for fabrication of metal foam. In friction stir processing, a specially designed non-consumable tool is used for the stirring action over the base material under the appropriate conditions and generate sufficient pressure and temperature through the friction. Current study is focused about the influence of process parameters of FSP/W on the microstructural behaviour and mechanical properties such as hardness, wear, compressive and tensile strength of the fabricated metal foam. Metal foams are light in weight with very high value of compressive strength and hardness. Wide application of metal foams can be seen in the automobile and aerospace industries. In the given review some future aspects of the FSP are also discussed.