Designing material properties with squeeze cast metal matrix composites

摘要

Traditionally, when selecting a material for a product, a manufacturer chooses from the commercially available materials. Very seldom, attention is paid in optimizing the functional properties of the product with the use of a "designed" material made specifically for that product. That is, the avenue of improving the performance of a product with a specially designed material is rarely pursued. The main reason is often the misconceived notion of major challenges involved in the development of a "designed" material. In this paper, the concept of designing and fabricating materials with specific properties through metal matrix composite (MMC) route is introduced. These composites are known to provide properties which are substantially different from their unreinforced counterparts. The fabrication process and the manner which unique properties are designed into a composite are presented. In addition, products fabricated by the MMC route and their unique properties/characteristics are introduced.