Fabrication of woven carbon fibers reinforced Al–Mg (95–5 wt%) matrix composites by an electromagnetic casting process

• The woven carbon fibers reinforced Al-matrix composites were successfully prepared by a casting process.
• The optimization of the technological parameters and the combination mechanism were discovered.
• The segregation phenomenon of elements had been properly explained by the mixing enthalpy theory.

Woven carbon fibers reinforced Al–Mg (95–5 wt%) matrix composites are successfully prepared through an electromagnetic casting process. The Ni/P coating is obtained using an electroless plating method to offer a better wettability in the casting. The appropriate pre-heating temperature of reinforcement is determined to be 600 K, and the molten matrix temperature should be controlled at approximately, 1013 K. Due to the presence of Ni/P coating, the infiltrated metal is able to spread out on the fiber surface readily. Finally, the accumulation of the metal on the fibers eventually fills all interspaces in the woven fibers. The addition of Mg shows a beneficial effect during the casting process by transferring itself into the coating more readily than Al and by segregating closely around the fibers, which effectively limits the formation of the Al4C3 brittle phase. The mixing enthalpy theory is introduced to explain the distribution of elements in this composite.