Properties of P/M processed particle reinforced metal matrix composites specified by reinforcement concentration and matrix-to-reinforcement particle size ratio

Abstract The effect of reinforcement particle size (3 and 14 μm), matrix-to-reinforcement particle size ratio (PSR) ranging from 2.9 to 12.9 and volume fraction of the reinforcement (0–20 vol.%) on microstructure and mechanical properties (yield stress, tensile strength, elongation to fracture and Young’s modulus) is investigated for Al–6Cu–0.4Mn⧹SiC p composites manufactured by the powder metallurgy route. A model is proposed to determine the critical reinforcement content for the composite at known PSR and to calculate the porosity and Young’s modulus of the material containing an excessive amount of the reinforcement.