Composite material including alumina-silica short fiber reinforcing material and aluminum alloy matrix metal with moderate copper and magnesium contents

• US 4,777,097 A
• Filed: 01/28/1987
• Issued: 10/11/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha 1 Toyota-Cho Toyota-Shi Aichi-Ken Japan
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kubo, Masahiro, Tanaka, Atsuo, Dohnomoto, Tadashi, Hirai, Hidetoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rutledge, L. Dewayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schumaker, David W.
• Application Number:
  US07/007,790
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 428/614, 420/533
• US Class Current: 428/614
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 49/06 Aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 49/14 characterised by the fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12486 Laterally noncoextensive components [e.g., embedded, etc.]

Abstract

A composite material is made from alumina-silica type short fibers embedded in a matrix of metal. The matrix metal is an alloy consisting essentially of from approximately 2% to approximately 6% of copper, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 3.5% of magnesium, and remainder substantially aluminum. The short fibers have a composition of from about 35% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents, and may be either amorphous or crystalline, in the latter case optionally containing a proportion of the mullite crystalline form. The fiber volume proportion of the alumina-silica type short fibers is between approximately 5% and approximately 50%, and may more desirably be between approximately 5% and approximately 40%. If the alumina-silica short fibers are formed from amorphous alumina-silica material, the magnesium content of the aluminum alloy matrix metal may desirably be between approximately 0.5% and approximately 3%. And, in the desirable case that the fiber volume proportion of the alumina-silica type short fibers is between approximately 30% and approximately 40%, then the copper content of the aluminum alloy matrix metal is desired to be between approximately 2% and approximately 5.5%.

Claims

1. A composite material comprising a mass of alumina-silica short fibers embedded in a matrix of metal, said alumina-silica short fibers having a composition of from about 35% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents;

said matrix metal being an alloy consisting essentially of from more than 45% to 6% of copper, from more than 2% to approximately 3.5% of magnesium, and remainder substantially aluminum; and

the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers being from about 5% to about 50%.

2. A composite material according to claim 1, wherein said alumina-silica short fibers have a composition of from about 35% to about 65% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 35% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents.

3. A composite material according to claim 1, wherein said alumina-silica short fibers have a composition of from about 65% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 35% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents.

4. A composite material according to claim 1, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers being from about 5% to about 40%.

5. A composite material according to claim 2, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers being from about 5% to about 40%.

6. A composite material according to claim 3, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers being from about 5% to about 40%.

7. A composite material comprising a mass of alumina-silica short fibers embedded in a matrix of metal, said alumina-silica short fibers having a composition of from about 35% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents;

said matrix metal being an alloy consisting essentially of from approximately 5% to approximately 6% of copper, from approximately 2.0% to approximately 3.5% of magnesium, and remainder substantially aluminum and the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers being from about 5% to about 50%.

8. The composite material of claim 7, wherein said alumina-silica short fibers have a composition of from about 35% to about 65% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 35% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents.

9. The composite material of claim 7, wherein said alumina-silica short fibers have a composition of from about 65% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 35% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents.

10. The composite material according to claim 7, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers is from about 5% to about 40%.

11. The composite material of claim 8, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers is from about 5% to about 40%.

12. The composite material of claim 9, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers is from about 5% to about 40%.

13. A composite material comprising a mass of alumina-silica short fibers embedded in a matrix of metal, said alumina-silica short fibers having a composition of from 35% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents;

said matrix metal being an alloy consisting of from approximately 2% to approximately 6% of copper, from approximately 0.5% to approximately 3.5% of magnesium, and the remainder substantially aluminum; and

the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers being from about 5% to about 50%.

14. The composite material of claim 13, wherein said alumina-silica short fibers have a composition of from about 35% to about 60% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 65% to about 35% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents.

15. The composite material of claim 13, wherein said alumina-silica short fibers have a composition of from about 65% to about 80% of Al₂ O₃ and from about 35% to about 20% of SiO₂ with less than about 10% of other included constituents.

16. The composite material of claim 13, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers is from about 5% to about 40%.

17. The composite material of claim 14, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica fibers is from about 5% to about 40%.

18. The composite material of claim 15, wherein the volume proportion of said alumina-silica short fibers is from about 5% to about 40%.