Texture of metal-matrix composites by ultrasonic velocity measurements

Abstract An ultrasonic method is developed for the nondestructive characterization of texture in metal-matrix composites. In this approach, it is assumed that the presence of reinforcement particles changes the elastic properties of the composite but only the texture of the matrix. The method utilizes the measurements of the six independent ultrasonic velocities V ij and the formulation given by Bunge. The examined composites are the silicon carbide (SiC)-particle-reinforced aluminum 8091, 7064, and 6061 metal-matrix composites. The fourth-order expansion coefficients of the orientation distribution function are determined as a function of the SiC content in these composites. The results show that the expansion coefficients change with the presence of SiC where the coefficients C4 11 and C4 13 increase as the volume fraction of SiC is increased and the coefficient C4 12 is zero in all composites examined. The analysis of these results indicates that ultrasonics can provide a promising technique for the texture characterization of metal-matrix composites.