Influence of wettability and initial metal composition on infiltration process of carbon refractory material: The evolutional model of molten metal infiltration into a 3D real microstructure acquired using X-ray computed tomography

Abstract

An evolutional model of molten metal infiltration in refractory material with the 3D pore structure acquired by X-ray computed tomography was developed and tested. It assumes isothermal infiltration with various wettability of the phases present in the material and selective dissolution of the carbon phases. An elaborated model was used to analyze the influence of different initial molten metal compositions and various wetting conditions on the evolution of the infiltration process. The initial carbon concentration in the molten metal does not alter the evolution of the infiltration process much; however, it affects the amount of carbon that dissolves in the molten metal. It was found that contact angles have much significant influence on the evolution of the infiltration front. Transition from the non-wetted to wetted pore surface significantly increases the infiltration time and changes the total flux of molten metal.