Compositionally modulated composite materials and methods for making the same

• US 20090130425A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Modumetal Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Modumetal Incorporated
• Inventors: Whitaker, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,115,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/312.800
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/02 with reinforcing fibres, e.g. carbon, polyamide fibres
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 49/10 made of non-metallic materials, other than wood
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 53/10 Non-metallic shafts
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/00 Layered products comprising a layer of metal
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/015 the said other metal being copper or nickel or an alloy thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2264/10 Inorganic particles
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/02 characterised by structural features of a fibrous or filamentary layer layer formed of metallic wires B32B15/02; layer formed of natural mineral fibres B32B19/02; layer formed of wood fibres B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/16 characterised by features of a layer formed of particles, e.g. chips, powder or granules layer formed of natural mineral particles B32B19/00; layer being formed of wood fibres, chips or particles B32B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 19/00 Alloys based on nickel or cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 19/03 based on nickel
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 19/07 based on cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 15/02 Combined electrolytic and electrophoretic processes with charged materials
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/08 Electroplating with moving electrolyte e.g. jet electroplating using locally applied jets of electrolyte C25D5/026
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/10 Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals for bearings C25D7/10
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/18 Electroplating using modulated, pulsed or reversing current
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/00 Electroplating characterised by the article coated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/04 Tubes; Rings; Hollow bodies
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/0457 Metal layers in combination with additional layers made of fibres, fabrics or plastics
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 5/0478 Fibre- or fabric-reinforced layers in combination with plastics layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12028 : Composite; i.e., plural, adjacent, spatially distinct metal components [e.g., layers, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12479 : Porous [e.g., foamed, spongy, cracked, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24997 : Of metal-containing material

Abstract

A light-weight composite material with enhanced structural characteristics includes, in one embodiment, a compositionally modulated nanolaminate coating electrically deposited into an open, accessible void structure of a porous substrate. As a result of including a nanolaminate within the void structure, the composite can include a greater amount of nanolaminate material per unit volume than can be achieved by depositing a nanolaminate material solely on a two-dimensional surface. In addition, the nanolaminate material as well as other material electrodeposited to form the composite is compositionally modulated so that discontinuities between layers are minimized and potentially eliminated. The light-weight but structurally enhanced composite material can be used in a number of different applications including, but not limited to, ballistic applications (e.g., armor panels or tank panels), automotive protection applications (e.g., car door panels, racing shells) and sporting equipment applications (e.g., golf club shafts and tennis racket frames).

Claims

1. A composite material comprising:

a substrate material defining an accessible interior void structure; and

an electrodeposited compositionally modulated material at least partially disposed within the accessible void structure, the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material including at least one portion consisting of a plurality of composition cycles having wavelengths between about 200 nm and 1 nm.

7. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes a metal matrix material and a plurality of particles disposed within the metal matrix material.

10. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the substrate material comprises a consolidated material.

12. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the substrate material comprises an unconsolidated material.

14. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the substrate material is conductive.

15. The composite material of claim 1, wherein the substrate material is non-conductive.

2-6. -6. (canceled)

8-9. -9. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

16. A composite material comprising:

a substrate material defining an accessible interior void structure; and

an electrodeposited compositionally modulated material at least partially disposed within the accessible interior void structure, the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material including a first portion and a second portion having a Vicker'"'"'s hardness value at least 10% greater than the first portion.

18. The composite material of claim 16 wherein the first portion comprises a metal matrix with a first concentration of particles and the second portion comprises a metal matrix with a second concentration of particles, the second concentration being greater than the first concentration.

17. (canceled)

19-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method for forming a composite using electrodeposition, the method comprising:

providing a bath including at least two electrodepositable components;

connecting a porous preform including an accessible interior void structure to a first electrode;

inserting the porous preform into the bath;

inserting a second electrode into the bath;

applying voltage or current to the first electrode with a time varying frequency wherein the time varying frequency oscillates at least for two cycles to deposit a compositionally modulated material within the accessible interior void structure of the porous preform.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

monitoring concentration of the at least two electrodepositable components to detect a difference from a predetermined concentration level.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising

adjusting the concentration of one or more of the at least two electrodepositable components upon the detection of the difference from the predetermined concentration level.

29. (canceled)

32-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A method for forming a composite using electrodeposition, the method comprising:

flowing a fluid including at least two electrodepositable components through a porous preform having an accessible void structure at a flow rate, the porous preform being in physical contact with a first electrode;

applying a voltage or current between the first electrode and a second electrode to deposit a material at least partially disposed within the void structure and including the at least two electrodepositable components; and

modulating the flow rate at a time dependent frequency wherein the time dependent frequency oscillates for at least two cycles to compositionally modulate the material.

43-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A method for forming a composite, the method comprising:

providing a preform having an accessible interior void structure; and

electrodepositing a nanolaminate coating into the accessible interior void structure to form the composite.

56-64. -64. (canceled)

65. A method for forming a component, the method comprising:

stamping a porous preform having an accessible interior void structure into a predetermined shape to form an object; and

electrodepositing a nanolaminate coating to fill at least a portion of the accessible interior void structure of the object to form the component.

66-70. -70. (canceled)

71. A composite material comprising:

a substrate material defining an accessible interior void structure; and

an electrodeposited compositionally modulated material at least partially disposed within the accessible void structure, the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material including at least one portion comprising a plurality of composition cycles having wavelengths between about 200 nm and 1 nm and one or more composition cycles having wavelengths greater than about 200 nm, wherein the percentage of composition cycles between about 200 nm and 1 nm in the portion is at least 10%.

72. A composite material according to claim 71, wherein the percentage of composition cycles between about 200 nm and 1 nm in the portion is at least 50%.

73. A composite material according to claim 71, wherein the percentage of composition cycles between about 200 nm and 1 nm in the portion is at least 90%.

74. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the wavelengths within the at least one portion are substantially equivalent.

75. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the wavelengths vary continuously within the at least one portion.

76. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material provides an increase to structural properties of the composite material through a supermodulus effect.

77. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes regions of deposition including a wavelength greater than 200 nm.

78. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes at least one of nickel, iron, copper, cobalt, gold, silver, platinum and combinations thereof.

79. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes a metal matrix material and a plurality of particles disposed within the metal matrix material.

80. The composite material of claim 79, wherein the plurality of particles include nanosized particles.

81. The composite material of claim 79, wherein the plurality of particles are selected from the group consisting of carbide particles, alumina particles, glass particles, and polymer particles.

82. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the substrate material comprises a consolidated material.

83. The composite material of claim 80, wherein the consolidated material comprises a foam or a fabric.

84. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the substrate material comprises an unconsolidated material.

85. The composite material of claim 84, wherein the unconsolidated material comprises a particle bed or a mass of fiber.

86. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the substrate material is conductive.

87. The composite material of claim 71, wherein the substrate material is non-conductive.

88. A composite material comprising:

a non-conductive substrate; and

an electrodeposited compositionally modulated material deposited on the non-conductive substrate, the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material including at least one portion consisting of a plurality of composition cycles having a wavelength between about 200 nm and 1 nm.

89. The composite material of claim 88, wherein the wavelengths vary continuously within the at least one portion.

90. The composite material of claim 88, wherein the wavelengths within the at least one portion are substantially equivalent.

91. The composite material of claim 88, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material provides an increase to structural properties of the composite material.

92. The composite material of claim 91, wherein the increase to structural properties is achieved through a supermodulus effect.

93. The composite material of claim 88, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes regions of deposition including a wavelength greater than 200 nm.

94. The composite material of claim 88, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes at least one of nickel, iron, copper, cobalt, gold, silver, platinum and combinations thereof.

95. The composite material of claim 88, wherein the electrodeposited compositionally modulated material includes a metal matrix material and a plurality of particles disposed within the metal matrix material.

96. The composite material of claim 95, wherein the plurality of particles include nanosized particles.

97. The composite material of claim 95, wherein the plurality of particles are selected from the group consisting of carbide particles, alumina particles, glass particles, and polymer particles.

98. A method for forming a composite, the method comprising:

providing a non-conductive substrate; and

electrodepositing a nanolaminate coating onto the non-conductive substrate to form the composite.

99. The method of claim 98, wherein the nanolaminate is formed from electrodepositable metal including at least one of nickel, iron, copper, cobalt, gold, silver, and platinum.

100. The method of claim 98, wherein the nanolaminate coating includes particles within a metal matrix.

101. The method of claim 98, wherein electrodepositing the nanolaminate coating comprises applying voltage or current with a time varying frequency to a fluid containing an electrodepositable components wherein the time varying frequency oscillates at least for two cycles to deposit a compositionally modulated material.

102. The method of claim 98, wherein electrodepositing the nanolaminate coating comprises modulating a flow rate of a fluid including an electrodepositable components at a time dependent frequency wherein the time varying frequency oscillates for at least two cycles.