Aluminium-Silicon Carbide MMC (Al-SiC)

Metal matrix composite of an aluminium alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Adding 20-25 vol% SiC particles raises aluminium's elastic modulus from about 70 GPa to over 100 GPa with only a modest density penalty.
• Al-SiC composites fly on the Hubble Space Telescope's high-gain antenna boom and stiffen the ventral fins of upgraded F-16 fighters.
• AlSiC packaging alloys are tuned to match the thermal expansion of semiconductor chips, so they serve as baseplates for high-power IGBT modules.

Specifications & Metrics

• DENSITY: 2.90 g/cm³
• YIELD STRENGTH: 400 MPa
• HARDNESS: 150 HB