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Experimental Studies on the Mechanical Behaviour of LM25-SiCf-Interpenetrating Phase Composites Synthesized Using Gas Pressure Infiltration

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Abstract

Silicon carbide foams (SiCf) are used as potential materials for heat shielding elements in the aerospace, automotive, and chemical industries due to their exceptional thermal stability, low density, and high hardness. However, the very low strength of SiCf limits its use for developing load-bearing structural components. Impregnating a suitable metal into the SiCf makes them suitable for high-strength applications. The processing route designated for impregnating the metal into the SiCf determines the strength of the resulting material. This article outlines the mechanical behaviour of the novel LM25 aluminium alloy-SiCf-based interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) developed using the gas pressure infiltration technique. The LM25 alloy was infiltrated into SiCf with three different pore sizes, namely 10, 20, and 30 pores per inch (PPI). The macroscopic morphology of the IPCs revealed that a strong bond has been established between LM25 and SiCf. The compressive strengths of IPCs developed using 10, 20, and 30 PPI-SiCf were 97.5, 53.65, and 32.18 times higher than those of the respective SiCf. Similarly, the fracture strength and fracture toughness of the IPCs manufactured using 10, 20, and 30 PPI-SiCf were 7.44, 5.85, and 6.05 times better than those of the respective SiCf. Amongst the three variants of IPCs, the IPC developed using 10 PPI-SiCf possessed the highest values of compressive strength, fracture strength, and fracture toughness. However, the IPC developed using 30 PPI-SiCf exhibited superior resistance to indentation. Macro- and micro-structural analyses were conducted to establish the failure modes of the IPCs under both compression and flexure loads.

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All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this submitted manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

The authors, would like to thank Dr V. Krishnaraj, Professor, Dr. Jayakrishnan Nampoothiri, Assistant Professor, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, and Dr. Anuradha M. Ashok, Professor and Head, PSG IAS, Coimbatore for their constant support throughout this research work.

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  1. Department of Production Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Avinashi Road, Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641004, India

    Satish V.T., Senthilkumar M. & Renjin J. Bright

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  1. Satish V.T.
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Contributions

Satish V T - Conceptualization, Experimentation, Investigation, Methodology, Writing Original Draft. Senthilkumar M- Supervision, Methodology, Writing-Review and Editing Renjin J Bright- Data Curation, Investigation, Writing-Review and Editing.

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Correspondence to Satish V.T..

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V.T., S., M., S. & Bright, R.J. Experimental Studies on the Mechanical Behaviour of LM25-SiCf-Interpenetrating Phase Composites Synthesized Using Gas Pressure Infiltration. Silicon 15, 7357–7370 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-023-02584-3

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