Abstract:
Aluminum(Al)anditsalloysarepopularintheaerospaceindustryduetotheirhighstrength-to
weightratio, corrosionresistance,andductility.However,theseproperties(extremeductilityand
malleability) can compromisecorrosionresistance,makingthemsusceptibletodentsandscratches.
Silicon Carbide(SiC)isapromisingalternativetoAlanditalloysduetoitshigherYoungsmodulus
andexcellentwearresistance,althoughithasthedrawbacksofbrittlenessandhigherdensity.This
studyinvestigated thestructuralandmechanicalpropertiesofSiCalloyedwithlithium(SiC-Li)or
sodium(SiC-Na)usingabinitiocalculationswiththeaimoftuningthestructuralandmechanical
properties ofSiC.ModelingwasdoneusingBuraisoftware,whichoffersafriendlygraphicaluser
interface for QuantumESPRESSO,thusfacilitatingthecreationofinputfiles,visualizationofcrystal
structures andanalysisofresults.TheresultsfromthisstudyshowedthattheadditionofLiandNa
loweredthedensityaswellasthemechanicalpropertiesofSiCbutstillbeingfavorablybetterthan
thoseofAlanditsalloys,suggestingthatthemodeledalloyscouldpotentiallyreplacethetraditionalAl
anditsalloysintheaerospaceindustry.Furtherexperimentalstudiesareneededtovalidatethese
findingsandtoexplorethepossibilityofsimultaneousalloyingofSiCwithbothLiandNafor
enhancedperformance.
