The initial rapid wetting of a solid surface by a liquid phase is an important step in many industrial processes. Liquid-phase sintering of powder metallurgical steels is one such industrial process, where metallic powders of micrometer size are used. Investigating the dynamic wetting of a high-temperature metallic drop of micrometer size experimentally is very challenging. Here, a phase-field-based numerical model is first implemented and verified by accurately capturing the initial dynamic wetting of millimeter-sized metal drops and then the model is extended to predict the dynamic wetting of a micrometer-sized metal drop. We found, in accordance with recent observations, that contact line friction is required for accurate simulation of dynamic wetting. Our results predict the wetting time for a micrometer-sized metal drop and also indicate that the dynamic wetting patterns at the micro- and millimeter length scales are qualitatively similar. We also found that the wetting process is much faster for a micrometer-sized metal drop compared to a millimeter-sized metal drop.

The distribution of the alloying element Cu in steel compacts is important in determining the properties of the sintered products. In this work, mixtures of Fe-2Cu and Fe-2Cu-0.5C were compacted at 600 MPa and sintered at 1120oC for the holding times of t_s= 3, 13, 23, and 33 min. Dilatometry and light optical microscopy is used to investigate porosity, Cu distribution and its effect on the dimensional changes during sintering. The result shows that the molten Cu penetrates into the Fe interparticle and grain boundaries in less then 3 min holding time at 1120°C, however C addition hinders the liquid penetration of Cu. Furthermore, it is found that the C-added compact has lower volume expansion and porosity compared to the C-free system, after 33 min of holding time at 1120°C.

The effective use of alloying elements in powder metallurgical steels requires a deep understanding of their redistribution kinetics during sintering. In this work, interrupted sintering trials of Fe–2Cu and Fe–2Cu–0·5C compacts were performed. Moreover, diffusion simulations of Cu in γ-Fe using Dictra were performed. It is found that transient liquid phase penetrates the Fe interparticle and grain boundaries in less than 3 min of holding time. However, C addition limits the penetration of liquid Cu, particularly into grain boundaries of large Fe particles. The results also show that the mean diffusion distance of Cu in γ-Fe in the C added system is slightly lower than that in the C-free system at 3 min of holding time; however, after 33 min, the mean diffusion distance is similar in both systems. The diffusion distances of Cu in γ-Fe, predicted by Dictra, are in good agreement with the measured values.