MICROSTRUCTURAL APPROACH TO INFILTRATION BEHAVIOR OF LIQUID SILICONIZED CARBON CARBON/

A model for the numerical simulation of liquid silicon infiltration in to porous carbon/carbon preforms is presented. Based upon the special morphology of the preforms, capillary flow has been modeled using a no e dimensional solution of Navier Stokes equations. To calculate macros copic infiltration behavior of porous components like plates or tubes, microscopic capillary flow phenomena have been linked with macroscopi c silicon concentration via the statistical distribution function of c apillary diameters. As a result, time dependence of silicon concentrat ion during infiltration as well as silicon distribution in the ceramic end product can be calculated. Simulation values of silicon concentra tion after infiltration are in good accordance with experimental measu rements.