In the development of metal-matrix composites, reinforcements of aluminium and its alloys with ceramic materials has been pursued with keen interest for quite sometime now. However, a systematic comparison of the effect of different reinforcements in powder-processed aluminium and its alloys is not freely available in the published literature. This study examines the influence of SiC, TiC, TiB₂ and B₄C on the modulus and strength of pure aluminium. B₄C appears slightly superior as a reinforcement when comparing the effect of SiC, TiC, B₄C and TiB₂ on specific modulus and specific strength values of composites. However, TiC appears to be a more effective reinforcement, yielding the best modulus and strength values among those considered in this study. The differences in thermal expansion characteristics between aluminium and the reinforcements do not seem to explain this observation. The other advantage of TiC is that it is economically a more viable candidate as compared to B₄C and TiB₂ for reinforcing aluminium alloys. It is suggested that the superior effect of TiC as a reinforcement is probably related to the high integrity of the bond at the Al-TiC interface.

The fundamental and engineering aspects pertaining to the matrix-reinforcement interfaces in discontinuously reinforced metal matrix composites are presented in this overview. The interfaces play a key role in determining mechanical properties, namely Young’s modulus, yield strength, elongation, creep and fracture behaviour, as well as physical properties like coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and damping characteristics of metal matrix composites; these are discussed in detail. The ratio of the experimental value of the Young’s modulus to that predicted from the rule of mixtures has been used as a measure of interfacial bond strength. Various issues such as the nature of the interfacial bond, chemical reaction at the interfaces, and effect of alloying and processing on the structure of the interfaces and the properties of the composite are examined. In order to exploit the full potential of reinforcing the metallic matrix, the suggested strategies include creation of metallic bonding at the interface, use ofin situ processing, choice of right type of alloying elements, and heat treatments and engineering of interfaces.