Processing and Characterizing Alumina/Aluminum Composites with Tailored Microstructures Formed by Reactive Metal Penetration Metadata

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Title

  • Main Title Processing and Characterizing Alumina/Aluminum Composites with Tailored Microstructures Formed by Reactive Metal Penetration

Creator

  • Author: Corral, E.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Ellerby, D.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Ewsuk, K.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Fahrenholtz, B.
    Creator Type: Personal
  • Author: Loehman, R.
    Creator Type: Personal

Contributor

  • Sponsor: United States. Department of Energy.
    Contributor Type: Organization

Publisher

  • Name: Sandia National Laboratories
    Place of Publication: Albuquerque, New Mexico
    Additional Info: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA

Date

  • Creation: 1999-01-28

Language

  • English

Description

  • Content Description: In industry, the need to maximize energy efficiency depends on the availability of suitable advanced materials. Ceramic composites are exemplary materials for many advanced engineering applications because they exhibit good thermal stability, oxidation resistance and enhanced toughness. Presently, ceramic composite fabrication processes are costly, often requiring high temperatures and pressures to achieve reasonable densities. Our research is focused on developing a processing technique, that will allow production of alumina/aluminum composites using relatively low temperatures and without the application of an external force, thus reducing the processing costs. Our composites were formed using Reactive Metal Penetration (RMP), which is a process involving the reaction of molten Al with a dense ceramic preform. The result is a near net shape ceramic/metal composite with interpenetrating phases. The volume fraction of metal in the composites was varied by doping an aluminosilicate ceramic preform with silica. For this study we fabricated composites using pure mullite and mullite doped with 23 and 42 weight percent silica, yielding 18, 25, and 30 volume percent metal in the composites, respectively. Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy were used to characterize the homogeneity and scale of the microstructure. The scale of the microstructure varied with preform composition, the reaction temperature and with secondary heat treatments. Four-point bend testing was used to evaluate the influence of microstructure on strength and reliability. During these studies a gradient in the microstructure was observed, which we further characterized using microhardness testing. Alumina/aluminum composites formed by RMP show higher toughness then monolithic alumina and have the potential for improved reliability when compared to monolithic ceramics.

Subject

  • Keyword: Aluminium
  • STI Subject Categories: 36 Materials Science
  • Keyword: Composite Materials
  • Keyword: Energy Efficiency
  • Keyword: Aluminium Oxides
  • Keyword: Manufacturing

Source

  • Conference: Mexican American Engineers and Scientists National Conference; San Antonio, TX; 01/20-24/1999

Collection

  • Name: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports
    Code: OSTI

Institution

  • Name: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
    Code: UNTGD

Resource Type

  • Article

Format

  • Text

Identifier

  • Other: DE00003310
  • Report No.: SAND99-0237C
  • Grant Number: AC04-94AL85000
  • Office of Scientific & Technical Information Report Number: 3310
  • Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metadc689013
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