O. Nielsen et L. Arnberg, Experimental difficulties associated with permeability measurements in aluminum alloys, MET MAT T A, 31(12), 2000, pp. 3149-3153
The general principles and experimental difficulties associated with the me
asurement of permeability in aluminum alloys have been discussed, in order
to ease the further development of experimental methods suitable for such m
easurements. In order to avoid the surface-tension effects associated with
liquid/gas interfaces in the narrow channels of the mushy zone, a flux melt
can be used at the inlet of the permeameter. Electron-beam (EB) welding ha
s been shown to be a suitable method for ensuring a complete wetting betwee
n the sample and flux after remelting to the test temperature. Moreover, th
e influence of the permeameter design and the experimental procedure on gra
in detachment, preferred-flow channel formation, and coarsening have been r
evealed through microstructural images.