In-situ production of Al SiCp composite by laser deposition technology

Advanced materials - such as metal-matrix composites - claim more and more of the newest technologies in order to achieve the best performance of the manufactured materials. Thus, for the production Al-based matrix composites with carbide particles as reinforcement, in addition to the traditional technologies (solidification from the melt phase, powder metallurgy, etc.), there is laser deposition as the newest and most modern technology. This paper is focused on the materials and the experimental procedure to produce an Al/SiCp thin coating film deposited on an Al-substrate (as the base-support) by laser technology. Composite powders Al+(SiC+Cu) produced by powder metallurgy technology are pre-placed on the Al alloy substrate and then the laser beam scans the entire surface. The manufactured coating composite is analysed by optical microscopy. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.