The Effect of Ti Addition on the Properties of Al-B<sub>4</sub>C Interface: A Microstructural Study

In the present work, Al-B4C composites were produced by casting route at 850°C and titanium-containing flux was used to overcome the wetting problem between B4C and liquid aluminium metal. The microstructure of matrix/reinforcement interface was investigated using SEM studies with or without Ti added composites. The reaction layer was also characterized with EDS analysis and X-ray mapping. It was found from the microstructural observations by high resolution field emission gun SEM (FEG-SEM) that the wetting issue was effectively solved by the formation of very thin (80-180 nm in thickness) Ti-C and Ti-B reaction layers.