The mechanical response of the reinforced active alloy Incusil (TM) ABA (R)-SiC is studied. Specimens with up to 27 vol.% SiC particles are produced and tested in tension. The presence of the reinforcement leads to modifications in the alloy mechanical response and microstructure, with a decrease in the volume fraction of Ti-containing phases. To study the in situ response of the matrix material in the composites an inverse homogenization approach is proposed. The identified responses of the matrix materials are softer than that of unreinforced Incusil (TM) ABA (R). These results are experimentally confirmed by studying the effect of Ti-addition to Incusil (TM) ABA (R), a braze alloy whose composition is close to that of Incusil (TM) ABA (R) without Ti. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.