Formation of Interfacial Reaction Products in Al-4Si-1Mg/SiC Composite

Abstract

In Al/SiC composite, Al and SiC reacts and forms Al4C3 at the interface according to the reaction 4A1 + 3SiC → Al4C3+ 3Si. Hence in the present work, the Al-4Si-1Mg/SiC is fabricated through stir casting process. The fabricated composite is also ultrasonically treated prior to superheating to induce the interfacial reaction. The as cast composite and the ultrasonic treated composite are superheated at 900°C and computer aided cooling curve analysis is performed in the composite for different time to quantify the extent of interfacial reaction and to study the solidification behaviour. The Si released as a by-product can alter the composition and solidification behaviour. The salt flux reclamation technique is employed to extract the interfacial reaction products from the composite. The reclaimed powders are subjected to X-ray diffraction analysis and confirmed the presence of Al4C3 particles, which be used for grain refinement applications.