Mechanical properties of cast lead alloy/silicon carbide particulate composites

This paper describes a study of the mechanical properties of cast lead-antimony alloy composites containing silicon carbide (SiC) particles of size 90–150 μm and of contents ranging from 0% to 5% by weight. The ‘vortex method’ of production was employed in which the SiC particles were poured into the vortex created by stirring the molten metal at 400°C by means of a mechanical agitator. The results of this study revealed that as SiC composition was increased, there were significant increases in the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), hardness, torsional strength and impact strength of the composite, accompanied by a reduction in its ductility. An attempt is made in the paper to provide explanations for these phenomena.