Porosity assessment of suspension and saturated composite castings with the use of microscopic examinations

Good quality in composite castings can be confirmed primarily by their user. The producer is obliged to create a good product that meets the user’s needs that should undergo quality control. Omission of technological procedures and improper quality control may result in various defects like porosity. This paper presents the characteristics of the casting defect, namely porosity, with a particular focus on porosity in suspension and saturated metal composites. This defect is different, specific to composite castings, making its identification very difficult. The aim of the study is to detect and describe porosity in composites with the use of microscopic and submicroscopic examinations. The assessment of the porosity of the microstructure of composite castings allowed for the formulation of the following conclusions: in addition to the porosity that occurs in castings of classic materials (cast steel, cast iron, and non-ferrous metal alloys), metal composites also distinguish between primary and secondary agglomerates, leaving the reinforcement space not filled, occluded bubbles, and separated gas bubbles.