Wetting behaviour of Zn-Al filler metal on a stainless steel substrate

This work offers an analysis of the wetting behaviour of the Zn-xAl filler metal spreading on the stainless steel. Effects of Al content on wetting kinetics and microstructures of the re-solidified filler metal were studied in this important system of dissimilar substrates. Experimental results have confirmed that the wetting of Zn-xAl filler metal on stainless steel features the trend of triple-line kinetics. In the main spreading phase, the spreading radius and time can be correlated with a power law of R-n similar to t, n = similar to 0.4. The content of Al in the filler metal has a minimal effect on the value of n for the investigated range of Al concentrations. However, the spreading area of the filler metal after re-solidification decreases with an increase of the content of Al. Moreover, the thickness of the Fe-Al intermetallic layer at the cross-section increases with an increasing Al content.