NUMERICAL-SIMULATION OF THE INJECTION-MOLDING OF THIN PARTS BY LIQUID-METAL INFILTRATION OF FIBROUS PREFORMS

In recent years, many studies have been devoted to the processing of metal matrix composites. The injection moulding process could be a rapid technique for manufacturing near-net thin parts (between 1 and 10 mm thick). A numerical model based on finite volume formulation simulates the flow and the solidification of a liquid metal, aluminium for example, injected within a fibrous preform set between the walls of a metallic mould. This model allowed the influence of different parameters on the impregnation depth to be determined. Thus, the results have shown that the impregnation increases with the injection rate, the initial temperatures of the mould and the preform, and the width of the channel. Furthermore, the study has shown clearly the importance of the fibre thermal conductivity, the fibre volume fraction and the nature of the mould.