Ceramic-reinforced metal-based composite material and a method for producing the same

A method for producing ceramic reinforced metal-based composite material, consisting of the steps of preparing a preliminarily molded body composed of ceramic whiskers or ceramic particles, and impregnating, under pressure, a semi-molten alloy having a solid phase and a liquid phase coexistent with each other into said preliminarily molded body, said impregnating under pressure being effected at a percentage of the solid phase in the semi-molten alloy in a range of 10 wt % to 70 wt % and a pressure-impregnating speed in a range of 1 to 30 cm/s without causing any substantial deformation of the preliminarily molded body.

A ceramic-reinforced metal-based composite material comprising a preformed ceramic body impregnated with an alloy, obtained by impregnating the preformed ceramic body with a semi-molten alloy under pressure without substantial deformation of the preformed ceramic body, said preformed ceramic body being composed of ceramic whiskers or ceramic particles, said ceramic-reinforced metal-based composite material comprising (i) a ceramic-metal matrix body formed in the preformed ceramic body mainly by a liquid phase of said alloy, (ii) an alloy portion formed outside the preformed ceramic body mainly by a solid phase of said alloy, and (iii) an intermediate portion formed therebetween by a liquid phase and a solid phase of said alloy, wherein the alloy portion, the intermediate portion, and the ceramic-metal matrix body are formed continuously.