Structural, morphological and interfacial characterization of Al–Mg/TiC composites

Morphological and structural characterization of Al–Mg/TiC composites obtained by infiltration process and wetting by the sessile drop technique were studied. Focusing at the interface, wetting of TiC substrates by molten Al–Mg-alloys at 900 °C was investigated. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) indicated that aluminum carbide (Al4C3) is formed at the interface and traces of TiAl3 in the wetting assemblies were detected. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations show that TiC particles do not appear to be uniformly attacked to produce a continuous layer of Al4C3 at the interface. Molten Al–Mg-alloys were infiltrated into TiC preforms with flowing argon at a temperature of 900 °C. In the composites no reaction phase was observed by SEM. Quantification of the Al phase in the composite was carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld analysis. Chemical mapping analyzed by SEM shows that the Al–Mg alloy surrounds TiC particles. In the composites with 20 wt.% of Mg the Al–Mg-β phase was detected through XRD.