A Novel Manufacturing Process for Lightweight Alloy Composites

汽车和航空航天工业对高温轻质铝合金复合材料的需求日益增加，要求复合材料部件具有令人满意的性能，以达到经济高效的生产。本课题提出了一种原位生成平衡增强相而不形成亚稳相的轻质合金复合材料的新方法。本研究项目的主要目标包括：(1)加工平衡态碳化硅、氮化硅和金属硅化物增强铝合金复合材料，不形成任何中间亚稳相；(2)前驱体、成分等材料变量和时间、温度、熔体成分、搅拌条件等工艺变量的优化；(3)对复合熔体的热力学性质进行建模；(4)测定复合材料的反应速率和形成机理。研究了复合材料的高温氧化和硫化。实验将在放置在电阻加热炉恒温区的氧化铝坩埚中进行。这项工作有望对复合材料界面反应中稳定相形成和控制的动力学和热力学产生新的认识。预计这些研究的结果最终将导致开发出一种具有成本效益的商业生产复合材料的创新方法。

The increasing need for high-temperature lightweight aluminum alloy composites in the automobile and aerospace industries requires satisfactory performance for cost-effective production of the composite parts. A new method for the production of lightweight alloy composites through in-situ formation of equilibrium reinforcement phases, without any metastable phase formation is proposed in this project. The principal objectives of this research project include: (1) processing of equilibrium silicon carbide, silicon nitride and metal silicide reinforced aluminum alloy composites without any intermediate metastable phase formations; (2) optimization of materials variables such as precursor, compositions and the process variables such as time , temperature, composition of melts, and the stirring conditions; (3) modeling of thermodynamic properties of the composite melts; and, (4) determination of reaction rates and mechanism of the composites formation. High temperature oxidation and sulfidation of the composites will be investigated. The experiments will be performed in an alumina crucible placed in the constant temperature zone of resistance heating furnace. This work is expected to generate a newer understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of stable phase formation and control in composites interface reactions. The results of these studies are expected to ultimately lead to the development of an innovative cost-effective method of producing composites for commerce.