Reactive Processing of Aluminium Matrix Composites.

摘要

The addition of ceramic particles to a metal matrix can improve mechanical properties such as strength and stiffness. The resulting material, known as a metal matrix composite (MMC), benefits from the synergy of properties of ceramic and metallic materials. But although the concept of MMCs has been introduced some 30 years ago, the use of this class of materials in applications is still marginal. This discrepancy between potential and everyday use is mainly due to the problems encountered during processing. With the traditional casting techniques for metals it is difficult to control the microstructure and the metal-ceramic interface, both very important for the mechanical properties, during processing. Even though in the 80s a lot of research effort was put into metal matrix composites a satisfactory production method did not emerge. The properties of the composite material were either only marginally better, or even worse, than that of the unreinforced metal or the processing costs became unacceptably high. Thus after about two decades of constant development of traditional metal processing methods it became clear that if MMCs were ever to be produced in an economically acceptable way new and inventive production methods, dedicated for metal matrix composite materials, were needed.