Effect of interfacial reaction on fracture behaviour of aluminium borate whisker reinforced aluminium composite

An aluminium borate whisker reinforced aluminium composite with a whisker volume fraction of 25% was fabricated by the squeeze casting method. The tensile and impact fracture behaviours of the composite were studied. Observation via TEM indicated that the higher the casting temperature, the higher the degree of interfacial reaction. Tensile and impact experiments showed that there is an optimum degree of interfacial reaction corresponding to the maximum strength and toughness of the composite. Observation of the fracture surfaces of the composites using SEM suggests that the interfacial reaction plays an important role in the fracture mechanism of the composite.