Metal matrices reinforced with silver coated boron carbide particles
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsWilliam A. Ferrando, Amarnath P. Divecha, James Kerr, Subhash D. Karmarkar
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Abstract
Silver metal-coated boron carbide (B.sub.4 C) particle reinforce aluminumthium alloy or magnesium-lithium matrix composites which are prepared by coating the B.sub.4 C particles with molten AgNO.sub.3, decomposing the molten AgNO.sub.3 to form a coating of silver metal on the B.sub.4 C particles, mixing the silver coated B.sub.4 C particles into a molten aluminum-lithium alloy or magnesium-lithium alloy matrix, allowing the mixture to cool and solidify the solid composite.
Claims16
A process for producing a ceramic reinforced metal alloy composite comprising:
- A. selecting a B.sub.4 C powder which does not react pyrophorically with molten AgNO.sub.3 ;
- B. coating the B.sub.4 C particles at a temperature from just above the melting point of AgNO.sub.3 to less than the decomposition temperature of AgNO.sub.3 with an amount of molten AgNO.sub.3 that will produce silver metal coated B.sub.4 C particles having the desired weight percent of silver metal;
- C. heating the molten AgNO.sub.3 coated B.sub.4 C particles at a temperature of from the decomposition temperature of AgNO.sub.3 to about 850.degree. C. until the molten AgNO3 decomposes to form a solid silver metal coating on the B.sub.4 C particles;
- D. mixing the silver metal coated B.sub.4 C particles with a molten alloy which is an aluminum-lithium alloy or a magnesium-lithium alloy;
- and
- E. cooling the silver metal-coated B.sub.4 C particle/alloy mixture until the solid silver metal coated B.sub.4 C particle/alloy composite is formed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.