Interfacial Design of Cu–SiC Composites by Means of Nano-Diamond/SiC Composite Particles in Pressure Infiltration Casting

Abstract

This study reports on an interfacial design method of Cu–SiC composites by means of nano-diamond/SiC composite particles in melt-infiltration process. In the case of Cu–SiC composites fabricated by melt-infiltration process, reaction layers consisting of spherical carbon particles and Cu–Si solid-solution alloys were observed as SiC particles reacted with melt Cu. Formation of reaction layers is not appropriate to obtain the predesigned characteristics such as physical and mechanical properties of the Cu–SiC composites. To overcome this problem, nano-diamonds, which were chemically inert with Cu, were bonded to the surfaces of SiC particles by amorphous silica as a bond material in order to shield the SiC particles from reacting with melt Cu. It was found that this shielding method enabled us to disperse SiC particles homogeneously in the Cu matrix without reaction layers. This interfacial design based on the composite particles should be expected to be applied to a promising mass production technology of metal-matrix composites (MMCs) due to its short processing time and large amount of production for processing composite particles.

 

This Paper was Originally Published in Japanese in J. Japan Inst. Copper 60 (2021) 271–275.

Fig. 6 SEM BSE-C images showing interfaces around SiC particles in the (a) Cu–SiC and (b) Cu–ND/SiC composites fabricated by CSC process.