Design development and mechanical characterization of polymer reinforced metal matrix composites

Abstract

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) has undergone continuous and newlinesubstantial developments in the last few decades to meet growing demands on newlinehigh-performance materials with higher mechanical strength, reduced weight, newlineoperating at higher temperatures. Such requirements stem from application newlineareas like aerospace and automobile sectors. Ceramics like silicon carbide, newlinealuminium oxide, and boron nitride were widely used as a reinforcement in newlineparticle forms, and other materials like carbon fibres, glass fibres, boron fibres, newlineand nickel fibres were also used. It was observed that an important class of newlinematerial, namely, high-performance polymers were not used as a reinforcement newlinein metals or alloys in the same way other reinforcements were used. Despite, newlinethe fact that polymers with high-performance which exhibits strength and newlinestiffness higher than that of metals and alloys, and density much lower than newlinemetals, and can withstand temperatures of around 923.16 K (650 °C) or more, newlineexists. This is mainly due to some of the technical challenges posed by the newlineconstituent materials like poor wettability, chemical incompatibility, and newlinefloatation of polymer fibres due to density difference and thermal degradation newlineof polymer fibres due to the high processing temperature. newlineIt is therefore inferred that incorporating such high-performance newlinepolymers as reinforcement in metals could address the growing needs in newlineapplication areas demanding lightweight, high strength and stiffness composite newlinematerials, especially for structural applications. Thus, there is a lot of scope in newlinefinding the possibility of using high-performance polymers as a possible newlinereinforcement in MMCs. newline