Temperature dependence of melt structure in SiCp/Al composites above the liquidus

The present work presents a real time method using liquid X-ray diffraction to study composite melts where a chemical reaction takes place above the melting point of aluminum. We use this method and valence electron structure (VES) theory to investigate the temperature dependence of melt structure in SiCp/Al composites above Al melting point. The results indicate that the chemical reaction between SiC particles and liquid aluminum increases with increasing temperature. Silicon released from the chemical reaction is not well distributed above the liquidus in molten SiCp/pure Al composite melts, and the diffusion of silicon above the liquidus is possible only above a given temperature or some extent concentration fluctuation. Mechanisms for the observed phenomena are also discussed in detail.