Wettability of SiC by aluminium and Al-Si alloys

Abstract

The variations with time of the contact angle formed by molten pure aluminium or Al-Si alloys with single crystalline SiC were measured by the sessile drop method in a vacuum of 10−4 to 10−5 Pa at temperatures ranging from 933 to 1200 K. In the Al/SiC system, a “non-wetting-wetting” transition was observed at a temperature that decreases as time increases. After holding times of about 2 h, contact angles were stabilized to acute angles even at the aluminium melting point. Although additions of silicon to aluminium were in such amounts as to prevent Al4C3 formation at the interface, wettability in both pure Al/SiC and Al-Si alloys/SiC systems was not observed to differ appreciably.