Effects of the space holder size on the pore structure and mechanical properties of porous Cu with a wide porosity range

In this paper, porous Cu with different porosity and pore size has been successfully prepared by the well-known lost carbamide sintering method. The effects of the space holder size on the pore structure and mechanical properties of porous Cu were studied with a wide porosity range. The results showed that the particle size of space holder has an effect on the porosity, pore size, elastic modulus, yield strength, densification stress & strain, energy density, plateau stress and fitting curve of porous Cu, but the law was complex when compared with the content. The correlation between the relative elastic modulus and the relative density of porous Cu was square exponential which can be well described by the standard Gibson-Ashby model. However, the correlation between the relative yield strength and the relative density of porous Cu was more suitable to describe by the power exponent instead of 3/2 which can be well described by the modified Gibson-Ashby model. The results indicated that the effect of space holder content on the pore structure and mechanical properties of porous Cu was more significant and regular than that of particle size, but the effect of space holder size cannot be ignored. The results of this study will provide reference for the design and preparation of porous Cu with different pore sizes in the future.