A pore-scale, two-phase numerical model for describing the infiltration behaviour of SiCp/Al composites

We propose a method of modelling the infiltration process of a liquid aluminium matrix into a porous silicon carbide particle (SiCp) preform based on porous medium geometry obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Our simulation illustrates that via a pore-scale, two-phase flow model, an improved description of the flow structure in the porous medium can be obtained compared with the description offered by traditional methods, such as those based on the capillarity and wetting conditions of porous media and Darcy's law, the Brinkman equations or Richards' equation. Simultaneously, we validate the proposed model by comparing simulated and experimental data. In particular, the simulation results successfully capture several important features of a pore-scale, two-phase flow: the evolution of the flow front during the infiltration process, the most probable locations of potential defects, the preferential flow paths, the pressure distribution, the velocity field and the permeability of the porous SiCp preform. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.