Mechanical Properties of the Interface of Al/SiC Heteroparticles and Their Composites: a Theoretical and Experimental Study

New Al/SiC heteroparticles are investigated experimentally and theoretically. A composite material based on Al and SiC is predicted to exhibit a markedly higher tensile strength than pure Al due to the robust interface between Al and SiC. The theoretical predictions receive experimental confirmation. Specifically, incorporation of nano-SiC into the aluminum matrix to a level of 10 wt % is shown to increase the ultimate tensile strength of the resulting composite at room temperature to 317 MPa.