Peel and tensile test investigation of aluminium 1050 foil parts made with a new additive manufacturing process

In this paper, peel and tensile tests were carried out on specimens that were made using a new additive manufacturing process referred to as Composite Metal Foil Manufacturing. A detailed explanation of the process along with a conceptual model and flow chart of operation has been presented. Three peel tests under different conditions were performed to assess the effectiveness and flexibility of this new process. The first test uses 100 micron thick Al 99.5 foils at three different peeling rates. The second is performed on the foils at one peeling rate following corrosion testing to assess the effect of corrosion on the peel strength. The third test was carried out on composite specimens of Al 99.5 and 99.99% pure copper foils of 100 micron thickness. The resulting peel strength in each test gives an indication of the integrity of the bond formed by the new process. The results show that the peel strength is not affected by the rate of peeling. The specimens did not face the problem of galvanic corrosion of the foil and bond interface as any corrosion in this area would seriously undermine the peel strength. The composites also exhibited results consistent to previous tests proving that under all conditions the performance of the new process remains equally effective. The tensile test demonstrate that the part produced by the proposed process is 8% stronger than a part machined out of an aluminium block. The results prove that not only the process is capable of producing consistent results but also stronger parts when compared to traditional machining methods.