A Little Experience: the Quality Check of AlSiC Composite Products
AlSiC material is hard to cut. Still, when we need material sample, wire-electrode cutting and grinding machine will do the job. With the sample, all the statistic is ready for check just like any other metal, for example, thermal expansion rate, thermal conductivity, etc.
Most of time, the density tells the story. From our experience, if the density of sample was lower than 2.96g/cm3, then the thermal conductivity would not reach its goal.
If the result of element test showed that the Si element exceeds 8% in aluminum, then the bending strength would sure be lower.
The only data can not be tested with market ready-made equipment is the thickness of aluminum skin. To test the aluminum skin thickness, breaking is essential. But whenever the machining cutting grain appears on surface of product, the thickness of Al skin is theoretically out of control.
To check the thickness of Al skin, the product can not be cut, you may want to break the product with hammer, and check the Al skin with microscope with scale mark.
The integration of Al skin could be observed with microscope also.