NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE LIQUID FLOW INTO A POROUS MEDIUM WITH PHASE CHANGE: APPLICATION TO METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES PROCESSING

Abstract

A method of metal matrix composites processing consists of injecting a liquid metal through a fibrous preform. The metal flow through the porous preform is associated with phase-change phenomena which imply modifications of the porous medium permeability and disturb the metal flow. A finite-volume model was developed to simulate the injection of a pure metal through a fibrous preform placed between two plane walls of a metal mold. This model is based on the simultaneous resolutions of the heat equation, Darcy's law, and an advection equation to follow the evolution of the metal front geometry during the infiltration.