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US 6,264,719 B1Granted
Titanium alloy based dispersion-strengthened composites
AssigneeTitanox Developments Limited
InventorsDeliang Zhang, Martyn Rohan Newby
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AssigneeTitanox Developments Limited
InventorsDeliang Zhang, Martyn Rohan Newby
Estimating the term…
Titanium based metal matrix composites reinforced with ceramic particulate are well known, based on a blend of titanium alloy powders with ceramic powders, e.g., aluminum oxide powders, utilizing a low energy ball milling process, followed by cold compacting and sintering to produce an appropriate composite. This prior art process is disadvantaged from the point of view that there are virtually no particles in the blend below the micrometer size range, which lack has a deleterious effect on the subsequent processing of the composite. This problem has been overcome by utilizing dry high energy intensive milling in the process, which has the effect of providing the necessary number of small particles below the micrometer size range as well as enhancing the reactivity of different particles with one another. In order to produce a titanium base alloy alumina metal matrix composite, titanium dioxide powder is blended with aluminum powder and subjected to dry high energy intensive milling until the separate particle phases achieve a size of 500 nanometers maximum. The intermediate powder product is then heated to form the titanium alloy/amumina metal matrix composite in which the ceramic particles have an average diameter of no more than 3 μ, and the oxide consists of more than 10% and less than 60% by volume fraction of the total composite. The composites have extensive application to tough and strong engineering alloys.
A method of producing a metal matrix composite including high energy milling of a mixture of at least one metal oxide with at least one metal reducing agent in an inert environment to produce an intermediate powder product substantially each particle of which includes a fine mixture of the metal oxide(s) and the reducing metal(s) phases, and heating the intermediate powder product to form the metal matrix composite substantially each particle of which includes an alloy matrix of the metal(s) resulting from reduction of the metal oxide(s) reinforced with fine metal oxide particles resulting from oxidation of the metal reducing agent(s).
A method of producing a titanium alloy/alumina metal matrix composite from titanium oxide and aluminium including high energy milling of a mixture of titanium oxide with aluminium in an inert environment to produce an intermediate powder product substantially each particle of which includes a fine mixture of titanium oxide and aluminium phases, and heating the intermediate powder product to form the titanium alloy/alumina metal matrix composite substantially each particle of which includes titanium alloy matrix reinforced with fine alumina particles.
A metal matrix composite including a first phase metal alloy and a second phase metal oxide in fine particulate form, the particles having an average diameter of no more than 3 μm, and the metal oxide comprising more than 10% and less than 60% volume fraction of the composite.
A titanium alloy/alumina metal matrix composite substantially each particle of which includes titanium alloy matrix reinforced with fine alumina particles, the alumina particles comprising more than 10% and less than 60% volume fraction of the composite.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.