Thermo physical property measurement of metal-matrix composites

The need for lightweight, dimensionally stable materials for critical aerospace applications opened new frontiers of advanced materials. Metal-matrix composites can withstand the extreme conditions often encountered in space environment. The metal-matrix composites have been developed indigenously and tested in Thermo Mechanical Analyser (TMA). The measurement and characterization of thermo physical properties of MMC such as density, coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), specific heat (Cp) and thermal conductivity plays a important role. It is essential to evaluate the new material for thermal stability and to evaluate CTE before actual use. Experimentally the CTE can be measured by TMA under the absolute methods. The experiments have been carried out in the temperature range −125 °C to 550 °C. The measurements of the thermal properties of materials help better understanding of the thermal design. Stir casting technique was used to fabricate the 7075 Aluminium Alloy and 7075 Al with different volume fractions of SiCp composites. The composites exhibited lower coefficient of expansion values than the alloy.