Investigation of microstructure, wear behavior and mechanical properties of Al/Cu-SiCw composite

Ceramic-metal composites are often used in transportation industry such as car and airplane components thanks to their high strength and low weight. This paper investigates the effect of rolling reductions on microstructure, mechanical properties, and wear resistance of Al/Cu-SiC/Al composites. By increasing the rolling reductions, the SiC whiskers were broken and better distributed in the Cu matrix. Applying the roll bonding resulted in reduced grain size of Al and Cu-SiC layers. The most pronounced reduction of grain sizes was seen in 60% rolled composites. In addition, the tensile strength of composites increased to 271 MPa in 60% rolled composite. Furthermore, the fracture surfaces showed ductile fracture on Al and Cu-SiC layers. The number of dimples and cracks decreased at higher rolling reductions. In 60% rolled composite, the maximum hardness of 58 HV and 164 HV were measured in Al and Cu-SiC layers. By increasing the rolling reduction, the wear resistance of composites improved. The minimum value of mass loss was measured in 60% rolled composite.