Experimental Study on C_F/Al Composite Plate with Complex Curved Surface Fabricated by Liquid-Solid Infiltration Extrusion

Abstract

In this paper, continuous carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix (Cf/Al) composite plate with complex curved surface is fabricated by liquid-solid infiltration extrusion. The influence of fabrication parameters, such as the melting temperature, extrusion temperature and extrusion pressure on the Cf/Al composite plate is studied. The experimental results show that the liquid-solid infiltration extrusion process can be used to fabricate the Cf/Al composite with curved surface. The Cf/Al composite exhibits good infiltration and well-formed quality when the extrusion pressure is 50MPa, the extrusion temperature is 670°C and the melting temperature is 690°C. According to the microstructure observation, the carbon fiber uniformly distributes in the aluminum alloy matrix without damage and obvious defects. The density of the composite is decreased by 17.9%, from 2.71g/cm3 to 2.29g/cm3, which is lower than that of the matrix alloy, and the ultimate tensile strength is increased by 120% compared with the matrix alloy, from 127MPa to 279MPa.