Impact of Particle Size Distribution in the Preform on Thermal Conductivity, Vickers Hardness and Tensile Strength of Copper-Infiltrated AISI H11 Tool Steel.

Spontaneous infiltration of a porous preform by a metallic melt provides the potential of generating metal matrix composites (MMCs) with tailored combinations of material properties at low cost. The bulk of tool inserts for injection molding must sustain high mechanical and thermal loads and simultaneously exhibit high thermal conductivity for efficient temperature control of the mold insert. To fulfill these contradictory requirements, AISI H11 tool steel preforms were infiltrated by liquid copper.