Effect of the SiC Content on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al-7075/SiC Composites by Hot-press Sintering

In this paper, Al-7075/SiC composites with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% SiC were fabricated by hot-press sintering in vacuum at 610 degrees C followed by heat treatment. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) were used to characterize the microstructures of the Al-7075/SiC composites. The results revealed that Al-7075/SiC composites can be fabricated by hot-press sintering with high relative density. Increasing the content of SiC led to higher Vickers' hardness and augmentation of the tensile strength of Al-7075/SiC composites. At 20 wt.% SiC, the Vickers' hardness and tensile strength achieved as high as 183 HV and 470 MPa, respectively.