SBIR Phase I: High Toughness Cermet Tool and Die Materials

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将使用一种新的纳米工程颗粒制造技术，从钴和/或镍基氧化铝、碳化硅和碳化钛陶瓷中制造出坚韧、非常高强度的金属陶瓷。与工具钢和硬质合金工具和模具材料相比，金刚石、碳化钛、碳化硅、氧化铝等陶瓷材料具有更高的硬度和耐磨性。然而，由于韧性差，抗热震性和强度相对较差，这些材料在金属切割和成形方面的应用受到了限制。通过控制化学成分和厚度，第一阶段将在陶瓷颗粒上应用界面涂层，以便为所生成的工具材料中的颗粒提供出色的结合和载荷传递。这有望使金属陶瓷工具的机械性能接近硬质合金和工具钢，但耐磨性接近陶瓷。具有更高强度、韧性和抗冲击性的金属陶瓷/陶瓷工具将使高耐磨陶瓷应用于铣削、粗加工、成形和其他需要冲击韧性和强度的制造功能。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phae I project will create tough, very high strength cermets from alumina, silicon carbide, and titanium carbide ceramics in cobalt and/or nicket matrices, using a new nanoengineered particle manufacturing technique. Ceramic materials such as diamond, titanium carbide, silicon carbide, alumina, and others have superior hardness and wear resistance compared to tool steel and cemented carbide tool and die materials. However, due to poor toughness and relatively poor thermal shock resistance and strenght, the use of these materials on metal cutting and forming applications is limited. Through controlled chemistry and thickness, Phase I will apply interfacial coatings to the ceramic particles to provide superior bonding and load transfer to the particles in the resultant tool material. This is expected to make cermet tools with mechanical properties approaching those of cemented carbides and tool steels, but with wear resistance approaching that of ceramics.Cermet/ceramic tools with higher strength, toughness, and impact resistance will enable the application of high wear resistance ceramics to operations such as milling, roughing, forming, and other fabrication functions requiring impact toughness and strength.