Method of treatment of metal matrix composites
AssigneesThe Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Defence Research Agency
InventorsTimothy Frederick Bryant, Simon Brian Dodd, Stephen Mark Flitcroft, William Sinclair Miller, Roger Moreton, Christopher John Peel
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Abstract
A treatment process for a composite comprising a matrix of a precipitation hardenable aluminum alloy and a particulate or short fiber ceramic reinforcement. The process includes hot and/or cold working the composite, subjecting the composite to a controlled heating step in which the composite is raised from ambient temperature to a temperature of from 250 to 450.degree. C. at a rate of temperature increase less than 1000.degree. C. per hour, and subjecting the resulting heat treated composite to a solution treating step.
Claims7
A treatment process for a composite comprising a matrix of a precipitation hardenable aluminum alloy and a particulate ceramic reinforcement, said process comprising the steps of:
- providing a composite prepared by hot pressing a blended powder of said precipitation hardenable aluminum alloy and said particulate ceramic reinforcement;
- subjecting said composite to an intermediate thermo-mechanical treatment step to produce a treated composite;
- subjecting said treated composite to a controlled heating step in which the temperature of said treated composite is raised from ambient temperature to a temperature of from 250 to 450.degree. C. at a rate of temperature increase of from 3 to 100.degree. C. per hour from ambient temperature to 450.degree. C. to produce a temperature treated composite;
- and
- subjecting said temperature treated composite to a final thermo-mechanical treatment step which includes a solution treatment step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.