Fabrication and properties of SiCp/Al composites by pulsed electric current sintering

SiC particles reinforced aluminum matrix composites were prepared using pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) with α-SiC particles and pure Al powder without additional sintering aids. The starting materials used were α-SiCp with grain size of 30 μm and purity of 99.5% and aluminum powder with grain size of 50 μm and purity of 99.9%. CTE of SiC p reinforced Al composites were 15.2, 10.8 and 9.9*10° C -1. The results indicate that CTEs of SiCp/Al composites could be controlled by varying the volume of SiC particles.