Intro
Porosity is a critical engineering property of materials, as it affects their overall performance. Porosity is defined as the ratio of void volume to total ore volume in the material. Porosity can be caused either by natural processes, such as aging, or by the deliberate introduction of voids into the material during manufacturing. Different types of porosity can be found in engineering materials depending on the application, and each type of porosity has its own distinct characteristics.
Macroporosity and Mesoporosity
Macroporosity is the most common type of porosity found in engineering materials. It is also the most visible type of porosity and is typically seen as significant open voids in the material that are visible to the naked eye. Typically, these voids are caused by lumpy or irregular internal structures or by process-induced voids during the manufacturing process. The size of the voids in macroporosity is usually measured in millimeters.
Mesoporosity, on the other hand, is much smaller in size and less visible to the naked eye. It is usually caused by chemical processes during aging, and thus arises spontaneously. Mesoporosity is typically measured in micrometers. Unlike macroporosity, mesoporosity is uniform throughout the material and is relatively more homogenous.
Hydraulic Porosity
Hydraulic porosity is yet another type of porosity. It is caused by the movement of liquids through solid materials, and is typically found within man-made objects such as pipes and tanks. The size of hydraulic porosity is usually measured in micrometers to nanometers, and thus is much smaller than either macroporosity or mesoporosity.
Pore Shapes
Porosity comes in different shapes. These shapes can differ depending on the type of porosity as well as the cause of the porosity. For example, macroporosity can have round, cubic, or angular shaped voids, depending on whether it is caused by lumpy internal structures or by process-induced voids. Mesoporosity can have a wide range of shapes, from spheres to wormholes, depending on the process of its formation. Similarly, hydraulic porosity can have a unique shape depending on the size and flow of the liquid that caused it.
Conclusion
Porosity is an important engineering property of materials, as it affects their performance and overall properties. Different types of porosity can be found in engineering materials, depending on the application and the cause of the porosity. Macroporosity, mesoporosity, and hydraulic porosity are the three main types of porosity, and each type has its own distinctive features. Porosity also comes in different shapes, which can depend on the type and cause of the porosity.