Process for producing aluminum-titanium diboride composites

Abstract

A process is disclosed for producing composite powder particles consisting essentially of a matrix phase and a reinforcement phase. The process involves entraining agglomerated particles in a carrier gas, the agglomerated particles consisting essentially of titanium diboride and particles of a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum and aluminum based alloys. The agglomerated particles are fed through a high temperature zone having a temperature sufficient to allow the metal particles to melt, coalesce together, and encapsulate the titanium diboride particles. The metal is then resolidified, resulting in the formation of the composite powder particles wherein the matrix phase consists essentially of the metal and the reinforcement phase consists essentially of the titanium diboride particles. A process is disclosed for producing a composite material in which the metal which is selected from the group consisting of aluminum and aluminum based alloys is the matrix phase and titanium diboride is the reinforcement phase. The process involves entraining agglomerates in a carrier gas and passing the agglomerates through a high temperature zone as described above. The metal is resolidified by impacting the resulting high temperature treated particles against a surface having a temperature below the solidification temperature of the metal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.