U.S. Launches New Study Project of "Low-cost Aluminum Alloy Metal Matrix Composites"

A 2015 research report estimates that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the global market for metal matrix composite parts will be 5.9% from 2015 to 2020, and the total output will reach 8 700 tons by 2020. The purpose of the US research project for future lightweight innovation centers is to expand the potential applications of metal matrix composites in automotive and aerospace parts by reducing manufacturing costs.

“Low-cost aluminum alloy metal matrix composites” is a new research project launched by the US for the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, which will be aluminum metal-matrix composites (MMCs) parts. Mass production of automotive and aerospace parts seeks to develop lower-cost manufacturing methods. The two-year project will consider a variety of different production techniques as alternatives to hot-isostatic pressing (HIP), including extrusion, near-net shape hot isostatic pressing, sintering, or sheet molding.

The Lightweight Innovation Center for the Future is a manufacturing innovation society operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII), a public-private partnership organization. Future-oriented lightweight innovation centers aim at the special development of parts or system technologies required in the automotive, aerospace and other transportation industries, and coordinate academic research with potential and/or interested and capable industrial partners.

Materion Corporation is the main industrial partner for the latest research and development project of the Lightweight Innovation Center for the future. Mattlin is a major producer of niobium and special alloys, as well as two metal matrix composites, silicon carbide particle reinforced aluminum alloys and silicon carbide particle reinforced aluminum niobium alloy materials.

Metal matrix composites, technically speaking, are specially shaped alloy materials reinforced with ceramic or organic material particles. Hot isostatic pressing is a standard production procedure because the metal powder can be made into a special-shaped solid material by using isostatic pressing at a high pressure and high heat pressing at the same time.

The Lightweight Innovation Center for the Future and the Mattlin and other research partners are looking forward to researching and identifying alternative processes to reduce production time and costs, but retaining the "high specific modulus of elasticity and high strength required for aerospace and automotive parts". - Weight ratio "performance requirements. It is believed that reducing costs is particularly required for metal matrix composites for current and future aerospace and automotive projects.

"At present, too much time and money are tied to a production process and we believe it can be improved by other methods," said Keith Smith, vice president of technology and business development at Mattlin. “With this team of experts established by the Lightweight Innovation Center, we will explore and refine not only the benefits of our current work but also those new methods for the entire metal matrix composite industry.”

Other industrial partners for the project include Boeing Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp., and GKN, which produces metal powder and drive systems as well as aerospace parts. Academic research partners include Case Western Reserve University, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Tennessee and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Oak Ridge National Labs is a federal government research partner.

"As a global service company for aerospace and vehicle manufacturing engineering, we have seen the real potential of lightweight aluminium alloys in powdered aluminium alloys for many transport applications," said Alan Taylor, vice president of lightweight technology for GKN powder metallurgy. .

This research project will continue until 2018. In addition to validating and confirming new manufacturing processes through component production tests defined by industrial partners, the research will also develop mass production capacity to meet the needs of aerospace and automotive materials.

“Helping our members to adopt a lightweight concept has achieved some small-scale successes, and helping to bring ideas up to large-scale mass production is exactly the core work of our future-oriented lightweight center,” “Lightweight Center for the Future” Technology Director Alan Taub said.