Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of ultra-high-strength SiC/Al–Zn–Mg–Cu composites

Guonan Ma; Shize Zhu; Dong Wang; Peng Xue; Bolü Xiao; Zongyi Ma

doi:10.1007/s12613-024-2856-1

Volume 31 Issue 10

Oct. 2024

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Article Navigation > International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials > 2024 > 31(10): 2233-2243

Guonan Ma, Shize Zhu, Dong Wang, Peng Xue, Bolü Xiao, and Zongyi Ma, Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of ultra-high-strength SiC/Al–Zn–Mg–Cu composites, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 31(2024), No. 10, pp. 2233-2243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2856-1

Cite this article as:

Guonan Ma, Shize Zhu, Dong Wang, Peng Xue, Bolü Xiao, and Zongyi Ma, Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of ultra-high-strength SiC/Al–Zn–Mg–Cu composites, Int. J. Miner. Metall. Mater., 31(2024), No. 10, pp. 2233-2243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-024-2856-1

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Research Article

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of ultra-high-strength SiC/Al–Zn–Mg–Cu composites

+ Author Affiliations

Corresponding authors:
Dong Wang E-mail: dongwang@imr.ac.cn

Peng Xue E-mail: pxue@imr.ac.cn
Received: 27 October 2023; Revised: 16 January 2024; Accepted: 22 February 2024; Available online: 23 February 2024

Abstract

Abstract

A high-zinc composite, 12vol% SiC/Al–13.3 Zn–3.27 Mg–1.07Cu (wt%), with an ultra-high-strength of 781 MPa was successfully fabricated through a powder metallurgy method, followed by an extrusion process. The effects of solid-solution and aging heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were extensively investigated. Compared with a single-stage solid-solution treatment, a two-stage solid-solution treatment (470°C/1 h + 480°C/1 h) exhibited a more effective solid-solution strengthening owing to the higher degree of solid-solution and a more uniform microstructure. According to the aging hardness curves of the composite, the optimized aging parameter (100°C/22 h) was determined. Reducing the aging temperature and time resulted in finer and more uniform nanoscale precipitates but only yielded a marginal increase in tensile strength. The fractography analysis revealed that intergranular cracking and interface debonding were the main fracture mechanisms in the ultra-high-strength SiC/Al–Zn–Mg–Cu composites. Weak regions, such as the SiC/Al interface containing numerous compounds and the precipitate-free zones at the high-angle grain boundaries, were identified as significant factors limiting the strength enhancement of the composite. Interfacial compounds, including MgO, MgZn₂, and Cu₅Zn₈, reduced the interfacial bonding strength, leading to interfacial debonding.
- metal matrix composites;
- heat treatment;
- interfacial reaction;
- mechanical properties;
- fracture mechanism

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