This study aims at establishing the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties of 2124-T6 Al composites reinforced with 7, 15, 20 v/o SiC whiskers. Tensile tests along with Charpy impact tests were conducted over the test temperature rang...
This study aims at establishing the correlation of microstructure and mechanical properties of 2124-T6 Al composites reinforced with 7, 15, 20 v/o SiC whiskers. Tensile tests along with Charpy impact tests were conducted over the test temperature range from -196℃ to 100℃. Notched round tensile tests and subsequent metallographic observations as well as in-situ SEM observation of crack opening processes were performed for the purpose of identifying the micro-mechanical processes involved in void initiation. The experimental results indicated that the impact energy was found to increase monotonically with decreasing the amount of SiC whiskers and with inceasing the test temperature. Microvoids were observed to nucleate at the interface between the aluminum matrix and SiC whikskers, confirming that the formation of voids at the interfaces is the main metallurgical factor which contributes to the reduction of fracture toughness. In addition, the Mn-containing intermetallic particles strongly affect the fracture processes in these composites.