METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE MATERIAL

• US 20100003536A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fernando Enrique Audebert, George David William Smith, Marina Lorena Galano, Patrick Spencer Grant
• Original Assignee: Fernando Enrique Audebert, George David William Smith, Marina Lorena Galano, Patrick Spencer Grant
• Inventors: Smith, George David William, Galano, Marina Lorena, Audebert, Fernando Enrique, Grant, Patrick Spencer
• Application Number:
  US12/446,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20100003536A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/608
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/02 by melting C22C1/1036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 1/0416 Aluminium-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 2026/002 Carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 26/00 Alloys containing diamond or cubic or wurtzitic boron nitride, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 47/02 Pretreatment of the fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 47/14 by powder metallurgy, i.e. by processing mixtures of metal powder and fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 49/06 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 49/14 characterised by the fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12444 Embodying fibers interengaged or between layers [e.g., paper, etc.]

Abstract

According to the present invention there is provided a metal matrix composite material and a method for the manufacture thereof, the material comprising an aluminium-based alloy matrix, the matrix comprising a microstructure composed of at least a first aluminium alloy phase and having a second phase of nanostructured quasicrystalline particles embedded therein and further including in said matrix fibrils of at least one other dissimilar material.

Claims

1. A metal matrix composite material, the material comprising:

an aluminum-based alloy matrix, the matrix comprising a microstructure composed of at least a first aluminum alloy phase and having a second phase of nanostructured quasicrystalline particles embedded therein; and

further including in said matrix fibrils of at least one other dissimilar material.

27. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein said nanostructured quasicrystalline particles predominantly have a size of less than about 1 μ

m.

28. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein the second phase of the nanostructured quasicrystalline particles in the aluminum-based alloy matrix is in the form of icosahedral particles distributed throughout the aluminum-based alloy matrix.

29. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein the aluminum-based alloy matrix is selected from one the group comprising:

Al—

Fe;

Al—

Ni;

Al—

Mn;

Al—

Cr;

Al—

V;

Al—

V—

Ni;

Al—

Ni—

Co;

Al—

Cu—

Fe;

Al—

Fe—

V;

Al—

Fe—

Ti;

Al—

Fe—

Mn;

Al—

Mn—

Co;

Al—

Mn—

Ni;

one of Al—

Mn—

Ce and MM;

one of Al—

Cr—

Ce and MM;

Al—

Cu—

Fe—

Cr;

Al—

Fe—

Nb;

Al—

Fe—

Ce;

Al—

Fe—

Cr; and

Al—

Fe—

Cr—

X; and

wherein X is one or more elements selected from the group comprising Si, Ce, Ti, V, Nb and Ta, and MM is mischmetal, a mixture of rare earth elements.

30. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 29, wherein the aluminum-based alloy matrix material is Al—

Fe—

Cr—

X and the aluminum content lies in the range from 88 to 96 at % and wherein the X component may be selected from one or more of titanium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum and silicon, and does not exceed 4 at % in total.

31. The metal matrix composite material according claim 30, wherein the X element does not exceed 3 at % in total.

32. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 31, wherein the aluminium content lies in the range from 90 to 95 at %.

33. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 31 wherein the matrix material has a nominal composition in at % comprising Al93-Fe3-Cr2-X2.

34. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 30, wherein the X element is niobium.

35. The metal matrix composite according to claim 30, wherein the X element is tantalum.

36. The metal matrix composite according to claim 30, wherein the iron content is greater than the chromium content.

37. The metal matrix composite according to claim 1, wherein the fibrillar constituent comprises at least one of metallic and non-metallic materials.

38. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein the fibrillar constituent comprises at least one of a ductile metal and an alloy.

39. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 38, wherein the fibrillar constituent is selected from at least one of the group comprising:

nickel, molybdenum, titanium, niobium, tantalum, vanadium and chromium and alloys thereof.

40. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein the fibrillar material is selected from the group comprising:

carbon nanotubes and nanofibrils, boron nitride fibres, tubes and whiskers.

41. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein the content of fibrillar material lies in the range from about 5 to about 50 volume %.

42. The metal matrix composite material according to claim 1, wherein the fibril constituent is in the form of one of fibrils and tubes wherein the diameter of the selected one of the fibrils and tubes is less than about 1 μ

m.

2-26. -26. (canceled)

43. A method for the manufacture of a metal matrix composite material, the material comprising an aluminium-based alloy matrix comprising a microstructure having at least a first phase of aluminium-based alloy material and a second phase of nanoquasicrystalline aluminium-based material distributed therein and further including in said aluminium-based alloy matrix fibrils of at least one other dissimilar material that is a fibrillar constituent, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting an aluminium-based alloy material for constituting said aluminium-based alloy matrix;

selecting at least one dissimilar material for constituting said fibril constituent;

combining said matrix alloy and said at least one dissimilar fibril material constituent together to form a base composite material billet; and

optionally deforming said base billet to convert said fibril material into reinforcing fibrils in said composite material.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the fibril material is one of a metal and an alloy and is incorporated into said base billet in particulate form.

45. The method according to claim 44, wherein said particulate material is converted to fibrillar form in said composite material by said optional deformation step.

46. The method according to claim 43, wherein the fibril material is in fibril form when combined with said matrix material.

47. The method according to claim 43, wherein said base billet is formed by a particulates compaction route.

48. The method according to claim 43, wherein said at least one other fibril material is combined into said base billet by a metal spraying route.

49. The method according to claim 43, wherein said at least one other dissimilar fibril material is treated in order to make an interface between the fibril material and the matrix metal compatible.