Fourteen peer-reviewed papers on testing techniques, analysis approaches, and descriptions of various failure processes. From the Symposium on [title] held at Sparks, NV, April 1988. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Metal matrix composites constitute a new class of materials, now starting to make a major industrial impact in fields as diverse as aerospace, automotives and electronics. This book gives a comprehensive, integrated coverage of these materials, including the background to analytical-, experimental-, production and application-oriented aspects. Clear pictorial descriptions are given of the basic principles governing various properties and characteristics; these encompass mechanical, thermal, electrical, environmental and wear behaviour. Coverage also extends to material processing and component fabrication aspects and to a survey of commercial usage. This book is aimed primarily at scientists, engineers, production managers and all those involved in research on new materials in general, and metal matrix composites in particular, but may also be suitable for use as a text in beginning graduate and advanced undergraduate courses.

The 53 papers in this volume cover the topics of Metal Matrix Composites production routes, aspects of interfacial thermodynamics and kinetics, mechanical and physical properties, post-production processing, and applications. The contributions provide a valuable insight into the current trends in the use of metal matrix composites.

This book is dedicated to composite materials, presenting different synthesis processes, composite properties and their machining behaviour. The book describes also the problems on manufacturing of metal matrix composite components. Among others, it provides procedures for manufacturing of metal matrix composites and case studies.

The concept of reinforcing a material by the use of a fiber is not a new one. The Egyptian brick layer employed the same principle more than three thousand years ago when straw was incorporated into the bricks. More recent examples of fiber reinforced composites are steel-reinforced concrete, nylon and rayon cord reinforced tires, and fiberglass reinforced plastics. In the last several years considerable progress has been made on new composite structures particularly utilizing boron (on tungsten substrate) fibers in various matrices. Many of these advances have been reviewed recently by P. M. Sinclair1 and by Alexander, Shaver, and Withers.2 An excellent earlier survey is available by Rauch Sutton, and McCreight.3 Boron-reinforced epoxy composites are being fabricated and tested as jet engine components, fuselage components, and even as a complete aircraft wing because of the tremendous gain in experimentally demonstrated properties such as modulus, strength, and fatigue resistance, particularly on a weight normalized (e.g., strength/density) basis. Other than glass/epoxy and boron/ epoxy composites and perhaps boron/aluminum, the systems now under study are in the early stages of research and development. These include other boron/metal composites, graphite/polymer, graphite/metal, graphite/graphite, alumina/metal, and aligned eutectic (directionally, solidified) combinations. As Sinclair points out, designers are wary about filamentary composites becausethere is little background information and scant experience.

Metal Matrix Composites: Thermomechanical Behavior discusses metal matrix composites, elaborating on that consists of two phases—fiber as reinforcement and metal as matrix. This book focuses on polymer matrix composites, including topics in metal matrix composites ranging from processing to fracture mechanics. The three basic types of composite materials—dispersion-strengthened, particle-reinforced, and fiber (whisker)-reinforced, are also described in detail. Dispersion-strengthened is characterized by a microstructure consisting of an elemental matrix within which fine particles are uniformly dispersed, while particle-reinforced is indicated by dispersed particles of greater than 1.0 μm diameter with a volume fraction of 5 to 40%. Fiber (whisker)-reinforced provides a distinguishing microstructural feature of fiber-reinforced materials, such as that the reinforcing fiber has one long dimension, while the reinforcing particles of the other two types do not. This publication serves as a reference data book to students and researchers aiming to acquire knowledge of the thermomechanical behavior of metal matrix composites.

This collection brings together engineers, scientists, scholars, and entrepreneurs to present their novel and innovative contributions in the domain specific to metal-matrix composites and on aspects specific to processing, characterization, mechanical behavior, measurements, failure behavior, and kinetics governing microstructural influences on failure by fracture. Topics include but are not limited to: • Metals and metal-matrix composites • Nano-metal based composites • Intermetallic-based composites Contributions in the above topics connect to applications in industry-relevant areas: automotive; nuclear and clean energy; aerospace; failure analysis; biomedical and healthcare; and heavy equipment, machinery, and goods.

The problem of developing metal matrix (MCM) and metal-polymer (MPCM) composite materials is one of the most important in present day materials technology, for its solution is pivotal to the development of a number of leading technologies. The development of new fibrous and lamellar composite materials with improved physico-chemical, electrical, thermal and other properties is a springboard for qualitative scientific and technological advances not only in aerospace and shipbuilding technologies, but also in mechanical, power, electronic, electrical, radio engineering, transport, construction and other industries. The volume reviews the results of research programmes ac complished in recent years by Soviet scientists in the development of composite materials based on aluminium and magnesium matrices, polymatrix composites (composite materials) with metal and polymeric matrices reinforced with boron and carbon fibres, steel wire, fibre glass and other fillers. The volume also reviews present-day physico-chemical fundamen tals and basic principles for developing and optimizing metal matrix composites, and describes the most expedient and efficient methods of MCM and MPCM manufacturing. Special attention is devoted to the issue of manufacturing MCM structural members, and their machin ing and plastic working, as well as to coupling techniques.