Arthur Cantarel, Eric Lacoste, Michel Danis and Eric Arquis
To study heat transfer kinetics at the fiber scale in order to describe injection of liquid metal through a fibrous perform initially situated in a preheated mould, which is one…
Abstract
Purpose
To study heat transfer kinetics at the fiber scale in order to describe injection of liquid metal through a fibrous perform initially situated in a preheated mould, which is one of the various methods used in order to produce metal matrix composite materials (MMCs).
Design/methodology/approach
The first part presents a preliminary study in a static case to describe heat transfer kinetics between a fiber and the matrix in the case of a sudden contact of both components initially set up at different temperatures. This model enables to study the influence of the various parameters of the problem on heat transfer kinetics with phase change. In the second part, we present a modeling which takes into account the metal convection within the pores of the preform.
Findings
The numerical results of these two models justify the instantaneous thermal equilibrium assumption classically admitted to describe MMCs manufacturing methods. The results of this dynamic microscopic model are compared with the results issued from a single temperature macroscopic model to justify the methodological approach and the choice of the microscopic domain geometry representative of the MMCs manufacturing process.
Research limitations/implications
This first numerical model at the microscopic scale deals with the study of heat transfer between fibers and a pure metal. Next step will be the extension of this study to the preform infiltration by a metal alloy. Injection of matrix alloy implies the appearance of phenomena generated by segregation during phase changes.
Originality/value
The results of simulation tests, making use of the usual conditions of MMCs processing, show pretty good agreement with those of macroscopic models describing the anisothermal flow of a pure metal through a porous medium. From this coherence and from the results of the microscopic models as well, the hypothesis of instantaneous thermal equilibrium between fibers and metal (widely used in the literature to study the production of MMCs by infiltration of the liquid metal through the fibrous reinforcement) is justified. Moreover, it will be possible to extend it to the study of infiltration by an alloy, taking then into account thermal and solutal coupled transfers inside the study domain defined in the present work.
Details
Keywords
Mohamed Rady, Eric Arquis, Dominique Gobin and Benoît Goyeau
This paper aims to tackle the problem of thermo‐solutal convection and macrosegregation during ingot solidification of metal alloys. Complex flow structures associated with the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to tackle the problem of thermo‐solutal convection and macrosegregation during ingot solidification of metal alloys. Complex flow structures associated with the development of channels segregate and sharp gradients in the solutal field call for the implementation of accurate methods for numerical modeling of alloy solidification. In particular, the solute transport equation is convection dominated and requires special non‐oscillarity type high‐order schemes to handle the regions of channels segregates.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present study, a time‐splitting approach has been adopted to separately handle solute advection and diffusion. This splitting technique allows the application of accurate total variation dimensioning (TVD) schemes for solution of solute advection. Applications of second‐order Lax‐Wendroff TVD SUPERBEE and fifth‐order weighted essentially non‐oscillatory (WENO) schemes are described in the present article. Classical numerical solution of solute transport using hybrid and central‐difference schemes are also employed for the purpose of comparisons. Numerical simulations for solidification of Pb‐18%Sn in a two‐dimensional rectangular cavity have been carried out using different numerical schemes.
Findings
Numerical results show the difficulty of obtaining grid‐independent solutions with respect to local details in the region of channels. Grid convergence patterns and numerical uncertainty are found to be dependent on the applied scheme. In general, the first‐order hybrid scheme is diffusive and under predicts the formation of channels. The second‐order central‐difference scheme brings about oscillations with possible non‐physical extremes of solute composition in the region of channel segregates due to sharp gradients in the solutal field. The results obtained using TVD and WENO schemes contain no oscillations and show an excellent capture of channels formation and resolution of the interface between solute‐rich and depleted bands. Different stages of channels formation are followed by analyzing thermo‐solutal convection and macrosegregation at different times during solidification.
Research limitations/implications
Accurate prediction of local variation in the solutal and flow fields in the channels regions requires grid refinement up to scales in the order of microscopic dendrite arm spacing. This imposes limitations in terms of large computational time and applicability of available macroscopic models based on classical volume‐averaging techniques.
Practical implications
The present study is very useful for numerical simulation of macrosegregation during ingot casting of metal alloys.
Originality/value
The paper provides the methodology and application of TVD schemes to predict channel segregates during columnar solidification of metal alloys. It also demonstrates the limitations of classical schemes for simulation of alloy solidification.
Details
Keywords
Change is a somewhat mysterious process which has aroused the academic interest of sociologists, psychologists, political scientists, and specialists from other fields…
Abstract
Change is a somewhat mysterious process which has aroused the academic interest of sociologists, psychologists, political scientists, and specialists from other fields. Information scientists should also be concerned with this topic, given that change seems to be the most permanent feature in this new discipline. Typical research questions such as what is change or how does change come about can be approached from many standpoints, ranging from the concepts derived from sociological and psychological theory to the very practical description of change taking place day by day.