Abstract:Plasma arc welding was used to join SiCp/Al composite with titanium as alloying filler material. Microstructure of the weld was characterized by an optical microscope. The results show that the harmful needle-like phase Al4C3 is completely eliminated in the weld of SiCp/Al metal matrix composite(MMC) by in-situ weld-alloying/plasma arc welding with titanium as the alloying element. The wetting property between reinforced phase and Al matrix is improved, a stable weld puddle is gotten and a novel composite-material welded joint reinforced by TiN, AlN and TiC is produced. And the tensile-strength and malleability of the welded joints are improved effectively because of the use of titanium.

Key words: SiCp/Al MMCs; plasma arc welding; in-situ weld-alloying; aluminum carbide; titanium nitrogen; aluminum nitrogen