Characterization and evaluation of interface in SiCp/2024 Al composite

35% SiCp/2024 Al (volume fraction) composite was prepared by powder metallurgy method. The microstructures of SiCp/Al interfaces and precipitate phase/Al interfaces were characterized by HRTEM, and the interface conditions were evaluated by tensile modules of elasticity and Brinell hardness measurement. The results show that the overall SiCp/Al interface condition in this experiment is good and three kinds of SiCp/Al interfaces are present in the composites, which include vast majority of clean planer interfaces, few slight reaction interfaces and tiny amorphous interfaces. The combination mechanism of SiC and Al in the clean planer interface is the formation of a semi-coherent interface by closely matching of atoms and there are no fixed or preferential crystallographic orientation relationships between SiC and Al. MgAl2O4 spinel particles act as an intermediate to form semi-coherent interface with SiC and Al respectively at the slight reaction interfaces. When the composite is aged at 190 °C for 9 h after being solution-treated at 510 °C for 2 h, numerous discoid-shaped and needle-shaped nanosized precipitates dispersively exist in the composite and are semi-coherent of low mismatch with Al matrix. The Brinell hardness of composites arrives peak value at this time.