Infiltration of a porous matrix by a solidifying liquid metal: A local model

This paper describes the first step of a study dedicated to the development of a macroscopic model of casting of a metal foam by infiltration and solidification of a liquid metal in a porous mould. The first stage presented here describes a local model of injection of the metallic melt in a capillary tube and subsequent solidification of the metal by heat transfer to the duct walls. The model is intended to account for the air/liquid interface displacement during the infiltration phase, for the heat transfer to the wall and for the growth of the solid phase in the presence of the fluid flow. The objective is to determine the influence of the operating conditions on the penetration depth and on the solidification time in a simplified geometry before using this local information in a macroscopic homogenized model presently under development. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.