Described herein are methods of forming a neutron shielding material. Such material may comprise a powder blend comprising a first component comprising a blend of a first metal particle and a first ceramic particle; and a second component comprising a reinforcing chip, the reinforcing chip comprising a second ceramic particle dispersed within a chip metal matrix.

A method of reinforcing a metallic material includes adding graphene to an alcohol solution; subjecting the alcohol solution containing graphene to sonication; mixing a metal powder with the alcohol solution containing graphene; milling the metal powder and alcohol solution containing graphene mixture; drying the metal powder and alcohol solution containing graphene mixture to form a composite powder; subjecting the composite powder to a densification process followed by a hot isostatic pressing treatment to form a composite material; and molding the composite material by hot extrusion.

According to the present invention, there are provided processes for preparing a porous composite material comprising a metal and a two-dimensional nanomaterial. In one aspect, the processes comprise the steps of: providing a powder comprising metal particles; heating the powder such that the metal particles fuse to form a porous scaffold; and forming a two-dimensional nanomaterial on a surface of the porous scaffold by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Also provided are materials obtainable by the present processes, and products comprising said materials.

A process for assembling a device including first and second parts made of first and second materials, respectively, and a third part made of a third material that acts as an intermediate part enabling the assembling, the process including: providing a preform made from an at least partially amorphous metal material capable of increasing its volume under temperature and pressure conditions; placing the first and second parts with the preform between two cavity plates having, the negative shape of the device; heating the assembly to a temperature between the glass transition temperature and the crystallization temperature of the preform to enable, at latest during the heating, the preform to be in a form of a foam and enable expansion of the preform to fill the negative shape of the device and form the third part; cooling the assembly to solidify the preform and separate the device from the cavity plates.

Preform and manufacturing process producing heterogeneous components with a first fraction (11) made from a first metallic material and having a cellular structure with stochastic or regular cells, and a second fraction (12) made from a second metallic material different from the first metallic material, in which the second fraction (12) at least partly infiltrates the cells of the first fraction (11). The second fraction is poured into the preform which also acts as a mould. The finished product after machining may have a unified surface of the second fraction or several zones exposing the second fraction, the first fraction, the cellular structure which is open or infiltrated with the second metallic fraction, or open zones, in a predetermined design.

Cemented carbide contains first hard-phase particles containing WC, second hard-phase particles which contain carbonitride containing at least Ti and Nb, and a metallic binder phase containing an iron-group element. The second hard-phase particle includes a granular core portion and a peripheral portion which covers at least a part of the core portion. The core portion contains composite carbonitride expressed as Ti.sub.1-X-YNb.sub.XW.sub.YC.sub.1-ZN.sub.Z, where Y is not smaller than 0 and not greater than 0.05 and Z is not smaller than 0.3 and not greater than 0.6. The peripheral portion is different in composition from the core portion.

A method for manufacturing a component having a spatially graded property includes providing a first layer of particulate matter, the first layer having first material characteristics, and providing a second layer of particulate matter, the second layer having second material characteristics different from the first material characteristics. The method further includes providing an interlayer between the first layer and the second layer and heating the first layer, the second layer, and the interlayer to bond the first layer with the second layer.

There is provided a chain apparatus made at least in part by additive manufacturing. The apparatus includes a pair of spaced-apart annular members. The apparatus includes an elongate member coupled to and extending between the annular members. At least one of the members comprises one or more self-draining internal chambers to allow for removal of residual material therefrom.

A system and method for calibrating an acoustic monitoring system of an additive manufacturing machine includes installing a calibration system on the machine and performing a calibration process. Specifically, the calibration system includes a calibration platform removably mountable to a build platform of the additive manufacturing machine and having calibrated acoustic source mounted thereon for defining a measurement standard. The acoustic waves generated by the calibrated acoustic source are measured by the acoustic monitoring system and compared to the known measurement standard to determine whether system adjustments would improve process tolerances or uniformity.

Boron nitride nanotube (BNNT)-magnesium (Mg) alloy composites and methods of fabricating the same are provided. The BNNT-Mg alloy composites can have a sandwich structure and can be fabricated by high-pressure spark plasma sintering. A mat of BNNTs can be sputter-coated with Mg, and then sandwiched between Mg alloy particles, followed by a sintering step. The BNNTs can include a hexagonal boron nitride phase.