Solidification of magnesium (AM50A) / vol%. SiC p composite

Abstract

Magnesium matrix composite is one of the advanced lightweight materials with high potential to be used in automotive and aircraft industries due to its low density and high specific mechanical properties. The magnesium composites can be fabricated by adding the reinforcements of fibers or/and particles. In the previous literature, extensive studies have been performed on the development of matrix grain structure of aluminum-based metal matrix composites. However, there is limited information available on the development of grain structure during the solidification of particulate-reinforced magnesium. In this work, a 5 vol.% SiC p particulate-reinforced magnesium (AM50A) matrix composite (AM50A/SiC p) was prepared by stir casting. The solidification behavior of the cast AM50A/SiC p composite was investigated by computer-based thermal analysis. Optical and scanning electron microscopies (SEM) were employed to examine the occurrence of nucleation and grain refinement involved. The results indicate that the addition of SiC p particulates leads to a finer grain structure in the composite compared with the matrix alloy. The refinement of grain structure should be attributed to both the heterogeneous nucleation and the restricted primary crystal growth.