Harder Surface, Highly Conductive Core: Redefining the Cu/SiC Composite Balance

On March 17, 2026, Mr. Naren Ayyaswamy successfully defended his master’s thesis in ‘Advanced Manufacturing’ on the theme of “Regression Guided FAST Fabrication of Cu/SiC MMC & FGC”, a subtopic of the ongoing SAB / M-ERA.NET project - SHAPE. His research focused on the development of Cu/SiC Functionally Graded Composites (FGC) for high-performance electrical applications. Using Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and regression-based statistical optimization, he designed a layered material combining a hard, wear-resistant surface with a highly electrically conductive copper core.
The optimized FGC achieved a 38% increase in surface hardness compared to pure copper, while maintaining 60% higher electrical conductivity than a conventional homogeneous metal matrix composite. This demonstrates an effective approach to overcoming the typical trade-off between surface hardness and electrical performance.
We congratulate Mr. Ayyaswamy on his successful defense and wish him continued success in his professional career.
For more information on this project, please contact: M.Sc. Saravanan Palaniyappan, M.Sc. Shimelis Bihon, and Dr.-Ing. Maik Trautmann.