Nucleation Effects in Thermally Managed Graphite Fiber-Reinforced Al-Cu and Al-Si Composites

The influence of heat extraction through fiber reinforcements on the resultant solidification morphologies was investigated in cast Al-Cu and Al-Si alloy composites reinforced with graphite fibers (GRFs). For this purpose, the GRFs were externally cooled by exposing their ends to ambient air during pressure infiltration. It was found that in the Al-Cu system, heat extraction through the fiber ends promoted the development of single α-Al envelopes around the GRFs. In particular, radial growth of the α envelopes occurred with a planar solid/liquid solidification front as a result of heat extraction. Apparently, the high thermal conductivity of GRFs causes significant heat extraction to enable the development of a positive temperature gradient at the GRF/melt interface. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAD) unveiled the occurrence of (002) _α-Al//(0002)_GR orientation relationship at α-Al/GRF interfaces. Preferential nucleation of primary Si along the graphite surfaces of the GRF-reinforced Al-Si alloy composite was also promoted by external fiber heat extraction. However, in this case, numerous nucleation events along the fiber interfaces were common, as well as nucleation at active substrates within the constrained melt. Finally, differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicated that the onset temperatures for nucleation shift toward higher values (by 7 °C for the Al-Cu composite and 2 °C for the Al-Si composite) when compared with their corresponding matrix alloys.