Investigation of the microstructure and properties of Al–Si–Mg/SiC composite materials produced by solidification under pressure

Composite materials based on alloys of the Al–Si–Mg system have been obtained via the introduction of 5, 10, and 15 wt % of SiC particles into the alloy melt and the solidification under a pressure. As a result of solidification under pressure, the porosity of the composite materials decreased substantially. An increase in the content of SiC particles in the composites enabled a smaller size of dendritic cells to be obtained. It has been shown by the X-ray diffraction method that, in the process of solidification under pressure, an interaction occurred between the matrix and reinforcing SiC particles. The presence of SiC particles in the structure of composites led to the acceleration of the aging process and to an increase in the peak hardness in comparison with the matrix alloy.