Foaming behavior of aluminum foam precursor using only friction heat of rotating tool

A friction heat foaming process (FHFP) was proposed for the foaming of an aluminum (Al) foam precursor that uses only friction heat. The precursors of the Al foam were also fabricated from Al plates by friction stir welding (FSW). It was shown that the precursor can be foamed using only the generated friction heat in only several tens of seconds. Consequently, Al foam can be fabricated using only friction based processes from the fabrication of the precursor to the foaming of the precursor.