Abstract
First of all, a study for the infiltration mechanism was carried out; a general differential equation and the rigid solution for the penetration of liquids into porous bodies have been derived. For confirming the validity of mathematical solution, penetration experiments of both pure water and aqueous sulphuric acids into sintered bodies of glass powder have been carried out, From the comparison of theoretical considerations with experimental results it was confirmed that the rigid solution obtained from this study was effective for the penetration of liquids into porous bodies.
On the other hand, for the case of liquid metals and metal skeletons, for example, an infiltration of liquid Sn-Cu alloys against sintered bodies of Cu powder, some distinctions between theoretical values and experimental values were detected especially at a late stage of the infiltration process, in spite of considering reactions between liquid and solid layers and time dependency of wetting angle. Further investigation is required to give a full account of the infiltration phenomenon, especially by considering the structural alterations of pores in skeletons during infiltration process.
Experiments of applied techniques of infiltration were carried out for Cu-Fe and Pb-Fe systems. For the Cu-Fe system, influences of infiltration time, addition of alloying elements to Cu infiltrant and heat treatments after infiltration on mechanical properties were examined. For the Pb-Fe system, the wettability of liquid Pb and Pb alloys to Fe plates, and damping characteristics and mechanical properties of Fe sintered compacts, infiltrated with Pb or Pb alloys were examined.
