Numerical modelling of infiltration of Al into additive manufactured Fe preforms in order to obtain Fe-Al intermetallics

Abstract

The current work, describes a numerical methodology to obtain deeper understanding of the kinetics of solidification and the dynamics of Al melt infiltration into porous iron preforms, in order to develop a near net shape process for a new class of highly advanced ductile and fine grained Fe-Al intermetallic. Investigations on macroscale simulations revealed that certain pressure and wetting conditions are beneficial for infiltration into finer structures. Microstructure showed a dependency of the solidification process on diffusion. Estimates for infiltration and solidification times are developed to determine which structures can be infiltrated before solidification stops melt flow.