Investigating the effect of SiC particles on the physical and thermal properties of Al6061/SiCp composite

In the present study, the effect of volume fraction of SiC reinforcement particles on the physical and thermal properties of Al matrix composite (6061) was investigated. In this regard, composite powders with different reinforcement contents were prepared using hot press molding. It was seen that with increasing the amount of the reinforcement, the density of the samples decreased, while the porosity increased. Microhardness tests indicated that there was a direct relationship between the hardness and the amount of the reinforcement. SEM images confirmed the proper distribution of the reinforcing particles in the matrix. Dilatometry tests exhibited the decline of coefficient of thermal expansion by improving the amount of reinforcement. XFA test was also used to determine the thermal conductivity of the samples and it was seen that with increasing SiC content in the composite samples, the thermal conductivity declined to 61.5 W/m.K due to enhancement of crystalline defects in the phase boundaries. Finally, the experimental results were compared to thermoelastic models. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.