1915. The Physical and Mechanical Properties of Duralcan Aluminum Composites
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Paper
Abstract
A new class of ceramic particle-reinforced aluminum materials is nearing industrial production levels, in anticipation of large-scale commercial applications in the near future. These materials, called DURALCAN aluminum composites, are manufactured by a simple ingot-metallurgical process in which ceramic particles are mixed into the aluminum melt. The molten composite is then cast into either foundry ingot or extrusion billet (the latter by direct-chill casting). The foundry ingots are the only castable aluminum-based MMCs on the market. They are remelted and shape-cast; and the billets are extruded by Dural’s customers, using standard aluminum fabrication techniques and equipment, with only minor modifications. The physical properties of greatest interest in these composites are the density and the coefficient of thermal expansion. The density is slightly higher than that of unreinforced aluminum, owing to the composite’s ceramic content. The coefficient of thermal expansion is substantially lower and is adjustable to match those of many other metallic materials. The most attractive feature of these materials in terms of weight-reduction engineering is their very high specific stiffness, which exceeds that of all other commonly used metallic materials. The composites also show greatly increased abrasion and wear resistance compared with unreinforced aluminum, as well as attractive fracture toughness.
