FABRICATION OF FIBER REINFORCED METAL BY SQUEEZE CASTING - (PRESSURIZED INFILTRATION PROCESS OF MOLTEN ALUMINUM TO CONTINUOUS GLASS FIBER BUNDLE).

Abstract

The present paper deals with the infiltration length of molten aluminum to a continuous glass fiber bundle for various squeeze conditions. The results show that the infiltrated length is proportional to the squeeze pressure, increases exponentially with an increase in the fiber temperature and does not depend on the ram speed. The empirical infiltration length was in good agreement with the calculated one, based on Darcy's law and a newly proposed infiltration model: molten aluminum infiltrates through the gap accompanied with the formation of a solidified layer on the fiber surface, and finally stops to solidify immediately when the heat quantity of the moten aluminum front is balanced to the release heat to fiber ahead of the front. Thus, a method to predict the infiltrated length for the practical squeeze casting is proposed.