Composite material having matrix of aluminum or aluminum alloy with dispersed fibrous or particulate reinforcement
AssigneeAmax Inc.
InventorsTsuguyasu Wada, Daniel J. Adenis, Thomas B. Cox
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Abstract
Reinforced composite aluminum-matrix articles containing a non-oxide reinforcing material, such as silicon carbide fibers or particles, are produced by a casting process wherein a small amount of lithium less than about 1%, by weight, is included in a melt of aluminum matrix alloy to facilitate wetting of the reinforcing material and ready dispersal thereof in the aluminum matrix alloy.
Claims7
The method for producing a composite material having a matrix of aluminum-base alloy and up to about 30%, by volume, of a discontinuous phase from the group consisting of silicon carbide particles, silicon carbide fibers, PAN and pitch based carbon fibers, up to about 5%, by volume, of titanium carbide particles, which comprises preparing a bath of said aluminum-base alloy containing about 0.2% to about 1%, by weight, lithium, mixing said discontinuous phase material with said bath at a temperature above the liquidus temperature thereof for a time sufficient to provide substantially complete dispersion of said material throughout said bath and solidifying said bath while maintaining said dispersion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.