Applications
Aluminum silicon carbide metal matrix composites have many applications in diverse fields. These composite materials combine the best characteristics of both aluminum and ceramics to provide outstanding thermal conductivity, low coefficient of expansion, mechanical properties and machinability – as well as being lightweight and durable enough for aircraft components, electronics & semiconductors, automotive & transportation, among many other things.
Aluminum-silicon-carbide (ASC) is an increasingly popular material for weight-sensitive applications like aerospace and portable electronics, offering high performance yet still being lightweight enough for such uses. At nearly half the weight of titanium and with excellent electrical insulation properties. Furthermore, ASC also features excellent corrosion resistance as well as thermal conductivity to quickly dissipate heat during operation – making it particularly ideal for electronics use where heat must dissipate rapidly and efficiently.
Abrasion resistance, fatigue strength and chemical stability are among the many advantages offered by this material. Furthermore, its hard surface makes it ideal for bulletproof armor use.
Stir casting is the most cost-effective and user-friendly route for producing Al-SiC MMCs, offering both hermetic sealing and near net shape parts with near net dimension tolerances. However, its properties depend upon the size, distribution and chemistry of SiC reinforcement particles in an alloy matrix; hence analytical modeling and simulation techniques must be employed in order to accurately predict material performance. Extended exposure may cause eye and nose irritation as well as pneumoconiosis which manifests itself by abnormal chest X-ray findings as well as decreased lung function.
Characteristics
Aluminum silicon carbide (ASC) is a metal matrix composite (MMC) material that combines the strengths of both aluminum alloys and silicon carbide into one material that offers increased yield strength, elastic modulus, ductility loss minimization, thermal conductivity benefits, low expansion and lightweight properties.
Attractively priced and highly resistant to corrosion in harsh chemical environments, making it ideal for aerospace and automotive applications, where materials must endure exposure to harsh environments. Furthermore, its resistance can withstand mechanical loads including pressure or temperature, making it highly resilient against damage from mechanical loads such as high pressure.
Silicon carbide stands out among ceramic materials with its hardness of 32 GPa, making it one of the hardest materials ever encountered by man. This outstanding strength can be attributed to its unique crystal structure which consists of tightly bound silicon and carbon atoms in tetrahedral structures bound by strong covalent bonds within a crystal lattice structure.
Aluminium silicon carbide is manufactured using the stir casting process. In this technique, dispersed SiC particles are mixed with molten matrix metal (Al), then cast in a die to produce final products. Microstructure, tensile strength and wear tests performed on specimens made using various weight percentages of SiC-Al reinforcement show increased tensile, hardness and compressive strength while reduced ductility upon increasing reinforcement percentages.
Properties
Silicon Carbide (SiC) particles mixed into an aluminum alloy provide the best of both worlds: metal’s high thermal conductivity and ceramic’s low coefficient of expansion. Aluminum-SiC composites are lighter and more durable than solid aluminum, providing good wear resistance at lower operating temperatures as well as easy machining capabilities and excellent abrasion resistance.
Aluminum silicon carbide typically boasts properties like tensile strength of up to 57 MPa, hardness of 850 MPa and thermal shock resistance up to 1600 degC – these qualities make it a fantastic material choice for automotive brake and clutch plates, electrical appliances, marine applications and chemical processing processes.
Studies of Al-SiC composites have been widely conducted. To test their mechanical characteristics more thoroughly, samples were produced through stir casting of an aluminum alloy called AA1200 with differing SiC weight fractions and then observed under a metallurgical microscope for particle distribution analysis and various mechanical tests were run to assess mechanical performance (tensile strength tests and hardness evaluation).
Results show that as initial mould temperature increases, so too does tensile strength of samples. This is likely a result of clustering SiC particles which reduce impact energy; however, when these samples are annealed the microstructure recovers and impact energy increases significantly.
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