SiC/Cu Composite Prepared by Spontaneous Infiltration of Copper Alloy into Porous SiC Ceramic

Abstract

A porous SiC ceramic reinforced copper-matrix composite was fabricated by spontaneous infiltration of molten Cu-24at%Si alloy into the reinforcement. The influence of process parameters on the infiltration behavior and microstructure of the as-prepared SiC/Cu composite investigations showed that infiltration temperature had an important influence on the infiltration behavior, and higher infiltration temperature which decreased the viscosity of molten Cu-24Si was beneficial to the penetration. Besides, the degree of infiltration increased with the increase of dwelling time at 1600°C. SiC particles were bonded together by sintering additives to form the porous reinforcement, which can be maintained after spontaneous infiltration. The interfacial bond between SiC and Cu-24Si alloy was tight, and no obvious interfacial reaction layer was observed in the as-prepared composite.

SiC/Si composites elaboration by capillary infiltration of molten silicon

“…It was demonstrated that high SiC volume fraction composites can be produced by infiltrating liquid metals into packed SiC powder. This way was applied at relative low temperatures with aluminum and copper [5,6].…”

“…However, spontaneous infiltration is believed to be a promising route for the fabrication of SiC reinforced metal-matrix composites owing to its advantages of simple equipment, low cost and the near-to-shapes complex parts [9][10][11][12]. Silicon is commonly used as alloy element to copper and aluminum to enhance the wettability and to limit the reactivity between ceramic and liquid metal [6,[12][13][14]. On this way, one can easily consider the possibility to use melt silicon as liquid metal.…”

Characterization of SiC ceramics with complex porosity by capillary infiltration: Part B – Filling by molten silicon at 1500 °C

“…The possibility of including a high volume of ceramic filler in a metal matrix allows a greater maneuvering margin for adjusting the thermal stability and thermophysical characteristics of the composites. This way was applied at relatively low temperatures with aluminum and copper [5][6][7][8][9]. Recently, special interest has been focused on SiC ceramic-reinforced metal-matrix composites.…”

Characterization of SiC ceramics with complex porosity by capillary infiltration: Part A - Filling by hexadecane at 20 °C

“…It was demonstrated that high SiC volume fraction composites can be produced by infiltrating liquid metals into packed SiC powder. This way was applied successfully at relative low temperatures with aluminum and copper [15,16]. MMC can be tailored to have superior properties such as enhanced high-temperature performance, high specific strength and stiffness, increased wear resistance, better thermal and mechanical fatigue, and creep resistance than those of unreinforced alloys.…”