D. Kocaefe et Rt. Bui, A ONE-PHASE MODEL OF THE MIXING OF AL-SIC COMPOSITE MELT, Metallurgical and materials transactions. B, Process metallurgy and materials processing science, 27(6), 1996, pp. 1015-1023
Citations number
6
Categorie Soggetti
Material Science","Metallurgy & Metallurigical Engineering
Good mixing of silicon carbide (SiC) particles with liquid aluminum is
an important component of the fabrication process of Al-SiC composite
s and the casting of mechanical parts from composite melts. A one-phas
e flow model has been built in which the mixture is considered as one
fluid, and the SiC flow is differentiated from the main mixture flow b
y a slip velocity, calculated from the balance of forces exerted on th
e particles. The impeller blades' action on the fluid is seen as a qua
dratic source of momentum. Sedimentation is simulated by imposing an i
ncreased viscosity on the fluid and setting gravity to zero once the S
iC volume fraction reaches a critical value. The model is first applie
d to a water-SiC system for which some experimental data exist permitt
ing a validation of the model. It is then applied to a Al-SiC system f
or which some parameter studies are carried out. Compared to the two-p
hase flow model published earlier, this one-phase model offers two adv
antages: it takes much less computing time and can accommodate a distr
ibution of particle sizes instead of being limited to one size.