Synthesis and processing of composites by reactive metal penetration

摘要

Ceramic-metal composites are being developed as engineering materials because of their high stiffness-to-weight ratios, good fracture toughness, and because their electrical and thermal properties can be varied through control of their compositions and microstructures. Wider use of ceramic-metal composites requires improvements in synthesis and processing so that high-performance parts can be produced more economically. Over the past three years reactive metal penetration has been shown to be a promising technique for making ceramic and metal-matrix composites to near-net-shape with control of both composition and microstructure. It appears that reactive metal penetration could be an economical process for manufacturing many of the advanced ceramic composites that are needed for light-weight structural and wear applications for transportation and energy conversion devices. Near-net-shape fabrication of parts has the additional advantage that costly and energy intensive grinding and machining operations are significantly reduced, and the waste generated from such finishing operations is minimized. The goals of this research and development program are: (1) to identify compositions favorable for making composites by reactive metal penetration; (2) to understand the mechanism(s) by which these composites are formed; and (3) to control and optimize the process so that composites and composite coatings can be made economically.