Abstract Several Al/SiC MMCs having several volume fractions up to 15 vol.% and different SiC
particulates average sizes, typically, 11, 6 and 3 lm were fabricated using conventional powder
metallurgy (PM) route. The effect of the size and volume fraction of SiC particulates on the
microstructural and corrosion behavior of Al/SiC metal matrix composites (MMCs) were studied.
The results revealed that the Al/SiC MMCs exhibited higher density than pure Al matrix. The static
immersion corrosion tests of Al/SiC MMCs in 3.5 wt.% NaCl aqueous solution at several temperatures showed that, at ambient temperature, the Al/SiC MMCs have better corrosion resistance
than the pure Al matrix. Reducing the SiC particles size and/or increasing the volume fraction of
the SiC particulates reduce(s) the corrosion rate of the Al/SiC MMCs. In contrast, the Al/SiC
composites exhibited higher corrosion rates at 50 C and 75 C than the pure Al matrix.
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