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Al 2 O 3 –B 4 C–Al Composite Material Systems via Pressureless Infiltration Methods
Author(s) -
Fox Richard T.,
Newman Robert A.,
Pyzik Aleksander J.,
Han Chan
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of applied ceramic technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.4
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1744-7402
pISSN - 1546-542X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7402.2009.02405.x
Subject(s) - infiltration (hvac) , materials science , wetting , boron carbide , aluminium , composite number , inert , composite material , metal , inert gas , chemical engineering , metallurgy , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Modification of the Al 2 O 3 –Al system's chemistry via the addition of B 4 C is described and is shown to result in fully dense structures via wetting techniques at high temperatures, without the need for pressure‐assisted infiltration. The relationships between the surface area of boron carbide and alumina powders, the effectiveness of infiltration, the material chemistry following infiltration, and the resulting mechanical properties of Al 2 O 3 –B 4 C–Al composites are evaluated. Additional approaches, including the incorporation of aluminum metal powder as an additional wetting agent before infiltration, are described in conjunction with a variation of both the surface areas and the volumetric ratios of inert Al 2 O 3 to reactive B 4 C phases. These methods can provide the means to achieve low‐cost metal matrix composites in both vacuum and argon infiltration environments, and represent an approach that enables the generation of articles with complex geometries, requiring minimal secondary finishing treatment.