Technologically significant capillary phenomena in high-temperature materials processing: Examples drawn from the aluminum industry

Examples of the impact of capillary phenomena on materials processing are drawn from the aluminum industry spanning aluminum smelting to recycling. The profound interaction of the oxides that form on molten aluminum is felt in many of the processes considered. Areas for improved understanding of wetting, spreading, infiltration, and Marangoni flow behavior are identified. Databases on liquid surface tension and solid surface energies need to be expanded to encompass commercial materials. Practical screening tests remain to be developed that provide realistic and scaleable rankings of interfacial behavior stemming from the interaction of complex solid microstructures and commercial aluminum alloys.