Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and interface of SiC particle reinforced 2124 Al matrix composite
- MEF Division, CSIR-National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur 831007 (India)
- Dept of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (United States)
The microstructure and interface between metal matrix and ceramic reinforcement of a composite play an important role in improving its properties. In the present investigation, the interface and intermetallic compound present in the samples were characterized to understand structural stability at an elevated temperature. Aluminum based 2124 alloy with 10 wt.% silicon carbide (SiC) particle reinforced composite was prepared through vortex method and the solid ingot was deformed by hot rolling for better particle distribution. Heat treatment of the composite was carried out at 575 °C with varying holding time from 1 to 48 h followed by water quenching. In this study, the microstructure and interface of the SiC particle reinforced Al based composites have been studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) associated with wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to identify the precipitate and intermetallic phases that are formed during heat treatment. The SiC particles are uniformly distributed in the aluminum matrix. The microstructure analyses of Al–SiC composite after heat treatment reveal that a wide range of dispersed phases are formed at grain boundary and surrounding the SiC particles. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy analyses confirm that finely dispersed phases are CuAl{sub 2} and CuMgAl{sub 2} intermetallic and large spherical phases are Fe{sub 2}SiAl{sub 8} or Al{sub 15}(Fe,Mn){sub 3}Si. It is also observed that a continuous layer enriched with Cu and Mg of thickness 50–80 nm is formed at the interface in between Al and SiC particles. EDS analysis also confirms that Cu and Mg are segregated at the interface of the composite while no carbide is identified at the interface. - Highlights: • The composite was successfully heat treated at 575°C for 1-48 hrs. • A layer of 50-75 nm is formed at interface after heat treatment. • No Carbide formation and SiC dissolution is observed at this temperature. • MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}, CuMgAl{sub 2} phases are segregated at interface of Al-SiC composite. • Mg and Cu are also segregated at near to the grain boundary.
- OSTI ID:
- 22288679
- Journal Information:
- Materials Characterization, Vol. 85; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1044-5803
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ALUMINIUM
CERAMICS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
ELECTRON MICROPROBE ANALYSIS
GRAIN BOUNDARIES
HEAT TREATMENTS
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
PARTICLES
PRECIPITATION
REINFORCED MATERIALS
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SILICON CARBIDES
THICKNESS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY