Thermal Conductivity of Al/SiC Particulate Composites Produced by Friction Powder Sintering

Abstract

Friction powder sintering (FPS) is a recently-developed technique to produce particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs). In FPS, powders including metallic and ceramic particles are compacted by the pressure and frictional heat induced by a rotating tool. We have applied FPS to obtain Al-50 vol.% SiC PMMCs and evaluated the thermal conductivity of the composites. FPS has been performed under the tool rotating rate of 1500 rpm and tool pressure of 31 MPa. By extending the sintering time from 1 minute to 2 minute, the relative packing density has increased from 81 % to 91 %, and the thermal conductivity has been enhanced from 66 W/mK to 110 W/mK. It has been noted that the further densification of the composites is necessary to draw the potential thermal conductivity.