On the Possibility of Using Secondary Alloys in the Production of Aluminum-Based Metal Matrix Composite

Abstract

Aluminum-based composites provide tribological performance and thermophysical properties that, combined with being lightweight, are suitable for their application in automotive brake discs. Aluminum alloys allow the use of secondary materials to produce composites, with the drawback of several elements, impurities, and oxides that can harm the mechanical and thermophysical properties. This preliminary study explored the mechanical and thermophysical performance of a composite material produced with a secondary matrix alloy. Overall, the results are promising, with a minimal decrease in mechanical and thermophysical properties despite clustered silicon carbide particles in the composite with the secondary matrix. The challenges in effectively dispersing carbides in the melt seem linked to aluminum oxides, and future microstructural investigations will aim to clarify this aspect.