Effect of thermal cycling on the expansion behavior of Al/SiCp composite

The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and accumulated plastic strain of the pure aluminum matrix composite containing 50% SiC particles (Al/SiCp) during thermal cycling (within temperature range 298–573 K) were investigated. The composite was produced by infiltrating liquid aluminum into a preform made by SiC particles with an average diameter of 14 μm. Experiment results showed that the relationship between the CTE of Al/SiCp and temperature is nonlinear; CTE could reach a maximum value at about 530 K. The theoretical accumulated plastic strain of Al/SiCp composites during thermal cycling has also been calculated and compared with the experimental results.