Three-Dimensional Characterization of SiC Particle-Reinforced Al Composites Using Serial Sectioning Tomography and Therm
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THE general physical behavior of a material depends on its microstructure.[1] In particular, microstructural features (e.g., grain size, spatial distribution, and shape) govern the mechanical and thermal behaviors of a material. Thus, the relationship between the microstructure and physical properties of materials has always been of primary interest in the fields of materials science and engineering. Composite materials have microstructural characteristics, which heavily depend on material type and processing methods,[2–5] that strongly correlate to their physical and mechanical properties.[5–7] Among them, silicon carbide (SiC) particle-reinforced Al composites have received particular attention in past decades for low-weight, high-strength applications, and possess microstructures apt for analyzing the overall properties and behavior of the composites. The spatial distribution of SiC particles, as well as their size and volume fraction in the Al matrix, affects the strength of the composite.[8] Indeed, these qualities, along with the direction of JAI MYUN JUNG and HYEOK JAE JEONG, Ph.D. Candidates, are with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 790-784, South Korea. JI HOON YOO, Researcher, is with the Frontier Technology Institute, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan 446912, Korea. SUNGHAK LEE and HYOUNG SEOP KIM, Professors, are with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and also with the Center for Advanced Aerospace Materials, POSTECH, Pohang, South Korea. Contact e-mail: [email protected] Manuscript submitted March 31, 2014. Article published online August 20, 2014 METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A
applied force, control a number of mechanical properties ranging from short-term strength and hardness to long-term fatigue and creep limits.[9,10] SiC particles usually exist in plate-like shapes with flat edges, and are irregularly distributed in many cases. The distribution irregularity (i.e., directionality that is influenced by the direction of stress applied during manufacturing) gives unique mechanical behavior and anisotropy to particulate composites.[9–11] Ganesh and Chawla[9] experimentally investigated the effect of SiC particle orientation on the tensile and fatigue properties of SiC particle-reinforced Al composites processed using high-temperature extrusion. Simplified three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) microstructural analyses, by means of optical microscopy (OM) or scanning electron microscopy (SEM), are two conventional methods for revealing the microstructure of materials, including composites. The 2D microstructural analysis method has been a popular, albeit a limited, method for microstructural characterization due to its convenience. However, 2D analysis can only provide plane views, while most materials under investigation are 3D. It is well known that microstructural topology and interfacial curvature are the important features affect
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