Interface study of carbon fibre reinforced Al-Cu composites

The application of continuous carbon fibre-reinforced aluminium matrix composites (Cf/Al) in aerospace, automobile, and electric power cable industries is of considerable interest because of their high specific strength, specific modulus, and low coefficient of thermal expansion. In this paper, we report the study on the alloy contribution to the interface of a carbon fibre reinforced aluminium alloy matrix composite. The composites were produced using squeeze casting technology. An Al-Cu alloy was used as the matrix material. Detailed investigations revealed that the aluminium alloy melt fill in the gaps between fibres. The important feature is that the solidification microstructure of Al-Cu matrix alloy is altered by the presence of carbon fibre. The surface of carbon fibre acts as the nucleation site of Al(2)Cu phase. Al(2)Cu phase prefers to form at the interface between carbon fibre and Al-Cu alloys. Ni coated on carbon fibre does not change the feature. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.