A comparative assessment of the behavior of Al-Cu alloy and its composite

An Al-Cu alloy (corresponding to the 2014 series) is used to make a composite by the addition of 15 wt% SiC dispersoids adopting the liquid metallurgy route by stir casting. The alloy and the composite are subjected to solutionizing and aging to optimize the attainable properties. They are characterized for their physical, microstructural, hardness, tensile, dry sliding, and abrasive wear (under high stress conditions) properties under identical experimental conditions. The obtained results indicate that the formation of the composite does not always improve the properties. A clear distinction can be made between the properties of alloys which can be improved by the formation of a composite. In other cases, the formation of a composite has resulted in deteriorating the properties of the alloy. The present study analyzes the causes for the behavior exhibited by the alloy and the composite and attempts to lay down conditions under which composites can be successfully used over their counterpart alloys and vice versa.