DSC analysis of Al2O3-SiO2 short fiber reinforced Al-Cu-Mg alloy matrix composites

Al2O3-SiO2 short fiber/Al-Cu-Mg matrix composites containing different Mg contents were fabricated using squeeze casting method. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) was used to investigate the reaction condition of the composites with different Mg contents. The microstructure of the composites was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental results show that the Mg content added to the 2024Al matrix significantly affects interfacial condition between Al2O3-SiO2 short fiber and aluminum matrix. At the temperature above 538 degrees C, Al2O3-SiO2 short fiber is prone to react with Mg and forms MgAl2O4 reaction product when Mg content added to aluminum matrix is above 1.0 wt%.