Determination of Threshold Pressure for Infiltration of NaCl Preforms by a Zinc Base Alloy and its Effect on Young´s Modulus by Numerical Simulation

The capillary infiltration of the Zn-22Al-2Cu (Zinalco) alloy into NaCl packed particles of sizes 496, 687, and 945 μm was studied using centrifugal casting. The threshold pressure for infiltration of NaCl particles with Zinalco was deduced experimentally, which increased as the diameter of the particles decreased. The work of immersion was determined from the threshold pressure with a value of 2.1. The infiltration proceeded at distinctly different rates for the three particle sizes studied. An equation to predict the threshold pressure to infiltrate Zinalco alloy into NaCl particles for given particle size and volume fraction was established. The micromechanical analysis showed that the strength of the foam depended strongly on the level of infiltration of the derived foam. As the level of infiltration increased, the stress distribution in the foams produced became homogeneously distributed in all the struts that make up the cell, which increases the strength of foam. The elastic modulus of the as-produced Zinalco foams is governed by structural parameters such as the pore size and the strut length. Thinner and shorter struts in the foam increase its ability to resist elastic deformation in the foam.