中国有色金属学报(英文版)
Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China
| Vol. 19 No. 6 December 2009 |
（1. College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400030, China;
2. Institute of Metals Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China）
Abstract:The microstructural characteristics and Brinell hardness of a cylinder produced by centrifugal casting were investigated using 20% (volume fraction) SiCp/Zl104 composites. Macrostructure and XRD analysis show that most of SiC particles segregate to the external circumference of the cylinder, the other SiC particles maintain in the inner circumference of the cylinder, and a free particle zone is left in the middle circumference of the cylinder. Microstructural characteristics and quantitative assessment of SiC particles show that most of congregated SiC particles in 20%SiCp/Zl104 composites are dispersed by centrifugal force, and the other congregated SiC particles and most of alumina oxide are segregated to the inner circumference of the cylinder. The SiC particles in aluminum melt can promote the refinement of primary α(Al) during solidification, and fine primary α(Al) grains can also promote the uniform distribution of SiC particles. Brinell hardness of SiCp/Zl104 composites is connected with not only the volume fraction of SiC particles, but also the distribution of SiC particles in matrix alloy.
Key words: metal-matrix composites; particle reinforcement; centrifugal casting; microstructure; hardness
