Wettability in pressure infiltration of SiC and oxidized SiC particle compacts by molten Al and Al-12wt%Si alloy

Abstract

The infiltration behavior of compacts of SiC particles in two surface conditions, as-received and thermally oxidized, was investigated by using pure Al and Al-12wt%Si as infiltrating metals. Analysis of the threshold pressure for infiltration revealed that the process is governed by the same contact angle for all different systems, no matter the metal or particle condition. This leads to the conclusion that oxidation does not modify the wetting characteristics of the particles, most probably because they are already covered by a thin native oxide layer that remains unaltered in processing routes involving short contact times and low temperatures, such as actual conditions of pressure infiltration at 700 °C.