A self-similar morphology detected in a composite produced by densification of co-crumpled metallic thin foils

A new kind of composite were manufactured by densification of co-crumpled aluminium and tantalum thin foils using close die compression. It was shown by optical micrography that its microstructure is highly interlocked. The morphology was analysed quantitatively in terms of the following three parameters: the area of the foil interface per unit volume, the interface tortuosity, and a characteristic of the local orientation of the foil surface. Based on these parameters, co-crumpled material studied has been compared with conventional laminates. A fractal nature of its self-similar structure was revealed.