Influence of TiO2 dopant on spontaneous infiltration to fabricate high volume fraction SiCp/Al cermets

The influence of particulate TiO2 dopant on the rate of spontaneous infiltration into SiC preforms by molten Al alloys and the characteristics of the prepared SiC-Al cermet were investigated qualitatively. To examine the effectiveness of the TiO2 dopant as an infiltration aid, spontaneous infiltration experiments were carried out at different temperatures for preforms doped with TiO2 and for preforms without dopant. Results showed that TiO2 enhances the spontaneous infiltration rate at each temperature level. Via metallurgical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the characteristics of the cermets produced at different process parameters were examined. The relevant reaction processes between TiO2 and Al and the experimental results are discussed.