Investigation on in situ Al0.5FeSi0.5/Al composites prepared by transient liquid phase sintering

In situ Al0.5FeSi0.5/Al composites were prepared by transient liquid-phase sintering. The hardness and wear resistance of the composites were investigated with an XHV-1000 microhardness tester and an M-2000 wear tester. Results show that with increased sintering temperature and holding time, the in situ needle-like reinforcement is transformed into short, bar-like, massive particles. At a sintering temperature of 510 °C and holding time of 4 h, the reinforcement consists of short, bar-like Al0.5FeSi0.5; moreover, the hardness of the in situ Al0.5FeSi0.5/Al composites peaks to a value eight times that of pure aluminum and 2.5 times that of Al-Si alloy. Accordingly, the wear resistance of the composites is the highest, i.e., 6.6 that of pure Al and 4.5 times that of Al-Si alloy.