Pressure-assisted infiltration of molten aluminium into open cell ceramic foams: Experimental observations and infiltration modelling

Partial infiltration of molten Al into three different open cell ceramic foams has been effected using pressure-assisted vacuum investment casting equipment. For the maximum pressure difference (only 0.25 MPa) up to 90% of the open porosity could be filled, but since the ceramic foams were found to contain closed pores, the resulting composite densities were low. A simple modelling approach accurately predicts the infiltration behaviour and enables the processing conditions and architecture of the preforms to be optimised in respect of the maximum infiltration pressure available from the processing equipment.