Development of aluminum hydroxides in Al–Mg–Si/SiCp in infiltrated composites exposed to moist air

In this work the degradation of metal/composite interfaces (M/C) in Al–Mg–Si/SiCp composites exposed to moist environments was investigated. The formation of Al(OH)3 at the M/C interface indicated the development of Al4C3 during processing. It was found that at room temperature Al4C3 slowly reacts with moisture in the atmosphere. As a result, the degradation rate increases logarithmically with time. In particular, it was found that the kinetics of degradation is influenced by the atmospheric conditions and the air quality.