Effect of Sintering Temperature on the Formability and Pore Closure Behavior of Al-SiC Composites

Abstract

The objective of the present work is to study the effect of sintering temperature on the formability and pore closure behavior of the Al-SiC composites. Aluminium matrix composites reinforced by 10% and 20% SiC by weight were produced by powder metallurgy technique and sintered at 605°C in different time duration namely 90, 180 and 270 minutes. A complete cold upsetting test was performed on the as-sintered preforms to evaluate the effects of SiC addition and the sintering temperature on the forming behaviour of the Al-SiC composites. The formability stress index was evaluated and discussed in terms of geometric and matrix work-hardening. It was observed that the formability stress index reaches very high value for higher amount of SiC addition. Also with increasing sintering time the formability stress index increases due to a decreased pore size.