An Introduction To Metal Matrix Composites

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.

Metal matrix composites are making tangible inroads into the "real" world of engineering. They are used in engineering components such as brake rotors, aircraft parts, combustion engines, and heat sinks for electronic systems. Yet, outside a relatively limited circle of specialists, these materials are mostly unknown. Designers do not as a rule think of using these materials, in part because access to information is difficult as these materials have not really entered engineering handbooks. Metal Matrix Composites in Industry is thus useful to engineers who wish to gain introductory knowledge of these materials and who want to know where "to find" them. Additionally, it provides researchers and academics with a survey of current industrial activity in this area of technology.

This book is the first of its kind to deal with fabrication processes of metal matrix composites (MMCs) theoretically, experimentally, systematically, and instructively. The theoretical bases of fabrication processes and recycling processes of MMCs are established in this volume. Most other books in the field are concerned with the mechanics of properties, which is not easy for readers to grasp, and they introduce fabrication processes only as techniques without theoretical discussion. Because this book provides a clear image of the fabrication processes of MMCs without using complicated mathematics, readers can use production theory to create new composites. Also, fundamental concepts of recycling of MMCs are given in this book for the first time so as to meet the demands for solving environmental problems. This work originally was published in Japanese and has attained a high reputation among Japanese professors and researchers in the field.

Metal Matrix Composites: Mechanisms and Properties includes sections on strengthening mechanisms, mechanical properties, fracture and fatigue, physical properties, and environmental effects.**Its companion volume, Metal Matrix Composites: Processing and Interfaces contains an introductory chapter that places the current state of the composites field in historical perspective. An extensive section on synthesis and processing describes in detail both standard and novel fabrication techniques. Composite interfaces are discussed in this volume's final chapter.**These two volumes combine to provide a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of metal matrix composites (MMCs). Represents the first attempt to gather, distill, and summarize available information on metal matrix composites**Comprises, in two volumes, state-of-the-art information on MMC processing, properties, and mechanisms**Discusses current issues and trends and provides a historical background to the field of composites**Includes detailed bibliographic data on selected topics**Presents information in a format that will be useful to the student and the researcher

In the last few years, a significant increase in applications of MMCs has taken place, particularly in the areas of automotive, aerospace, electronics, and recreation. These include continuous fiber reinforced MMCs for cables in power transmission, high temperature superconducting wires, particulate MMCs in civilian aircraft and automotive applications, and high volume fraction, high thermal conductivity substrates for electronic packaging. Nevertheless, as with any novel material systems, there is a lack of fundamental understanding on the part of practicing engineers and designers. This book would seek to address these issues, in a thorough and cohesive manner, as well as to provide students and scientists with a basic understanding of MMCs. This book will emphasize the synergistic relationships among processing, structure, and properties of metal matrix composites.

`Metal-Matrix Composites' are being used or considered for use in a variety of applications in the automotive, aerospace and sporting goods industries. This book contains sixteen chapters, all written by leading experts in the filed, which focus on the processing, microstructure and characterization, mechanics and micromechanics of deformation, mechanics and micromechanics of damage and fracture, and practical applications of a wide variety of metal composites. A particularly noteworthy feature of this authoritative volume is its collection of state-of-the-art reviews of the relationships among processing, microstructural evolution, micromechanics of deformation and overall mechanical response.

Metal Matrix Composites: Processing and Interfaces provides a unified source of information on metal matrix composites (MMCs). This book contains three parts. Part 1 provides the introductory overview, focusing on the historical perspective on the state of the composites field. The synthesis and processing details on some standard and novel techniques used to fabricate composites are discussed in Part 2. Part 3 is devoted to reviewing techniques in probing, modeling, and modifying composite interfaces. Other topics include the diffusion brazing techniques, chemical vapor deposition, and in situ reinforcement of MMCs. The deformation processing of metal mixtures and optimizing properties of deformation-processed metal/metal composites are also covered in this text. This publication is useful to engineering students studying the processing and interfaces of MMCs.