The present invention relates to the composition and production of an engineered degradable metal matrix composite that is useful in constructing temporary systems requiring wear resistance, high hardness, and/or high resistance to deformation in water-bearing applications such as, but not limited to, oil and gas completion operations.

The present invention relates to an aluminum matrix composite (AMC), and particularly to a method and apparatus for preparing an AMC with a high strength, a high toughness, and a high neutron absorption. The present invention combines a high-neutron-absorption and highly stable micro-B.sub.4C extrinsic reinforcement with an in-situ nano-reinforcement containing elements B, Cd, and Hf and having high neutron capture ability, achieves efficient absorption of neutrons by using the large cross-sectional area of the micro-reinforcement, achieves effective capture of rays penetrating gaps of the micro-reinforcement by means of the highly dispersed in-situ nano-reinforcement, and significantly improves the toughness of the composite material by means of the high-dispersion toughening effect of the nano-reinforcement, obtaining a particle-reinforced aluminum matrix composite (PAMC) having high toughness and high neutron absorption.

The present disclosure relates to a hierarchical wear part including a reinforced portion comprising zirconia or an alumina-zirconia alloy. The reinforced portion also includes centimetric inserts with a predefined geometry. The inserts include micrometric particles of metal carbides, nitrides, borides, or intermetallic compounds bonded by a first metal matrix. The inserts are inserted into a reinforcement structure infiltrated by a second metal matrix, the reinforcement structure having a periodic alternation of millimetric areas of high and low concentration of micrometric particles of zirconia or alumina-zirconia alloy. The second metal matrix is different from the first metal matrix.

A copper alloy material manufacturing equipment for manufacturing a copper alloy material by continuously casting molten copper. The equipment includes an element adding means for adding a metal element to the molten copper, a tundish for holding the molten copper containing the metal element, a pouring nozzle connected to the tundish to feed the molten copper from the tundish, and a trapping member arranged inside the tundish and including a same type of material as at least one of an oxide of the metal element, a nitride of the metal element, a carbide of the metal element and a sulfide of the metal element.

A composite wear pad includes a substrate that is selected from the group of iron based alloys, steel, nickel based alloys, and cobalt based alloys. A hard particle-matrix alloy layer is bonded at a surface to the substrate. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a plurality of hard particles dispersed in a matrix alloy. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a thickness ranging between greater than about 13 millimeters and about 20 millimeters.

A composite wear pad includes a substrate that is selected from the group of iron based alloys, steel, nickel based alloys, and cobalt based alloys. A hard particle-matrix alloy layer is bonded at a surface to the substrate. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a plurality of hard particles dispersed in a matrix alloy. The hard particle-matrix alloy layer has a thickness ranging between greater than about 13 millimeters and about 20 millimeters.

Zonal heating and cooling during the production of matrix drill bits may be achieved with a system that includes a cavity defined within a mold assembly having a central axis; reinforcing particles and a binder material disposed within the cavity; and a plurality of induction coils about a periphery of the mold assembly, each induction coil being spaced from each other along the height of the mold assembly, wherein a first induction coil of the plurality of induction coils is arranged proximal to a portion of mold assembly containing a portion of the reinforcing particles and a second induction coil of the plurality of induction coils is arranged proximal to a portion of the mold assembly containing a portion of the binder material.

A preparation method of a high-strength and high-toughness A356.2 metal matrix composites for a hub is provided, including the following preparation process steps: preparation of a (graphene+HfB.sub.2)-aluminum master alloy wire; A356.2 alloy melting, master alloy addition, refining, and pressure casting; solution and aging treatment; shot blasting, finishing, alkaline/acid cleaning, anodic oxidation, and finished product packaging. In this way, two systems of two-dimensional nano-structure graphene nucleation and in-situ self-nucleation are introduced to complement each other, a second phase of silicon in A356.2 is refined by multi-dimensional scaling, and multi-dimensional nano-phases strengthen the aluminum-based composite material simultaneously. The preparation method solves the problems of limiting the strength, hardness, plasticity and toughness during the application of common A356.2 alloys for a hub, and a graphene/HfB.sub.2/aluminum composite material produced by a low-pressure casting process has an excellent comprehensive performance, so as to achieve a further weight reduction requirement for light weight.

The present application discloses a ceramic preform, a method of making a ceramic preform and a metal matrix composite comprising a ceramic preform. In one exemplary embodiment, the ceramic preform comprises a ceramic compound compressed into the shape of a cylinder by rotational compression molding. The cylinder has an inner surface and an outer surface. A first liner may be attached to the inner surface of the cylinder and a second liner may attached to the outer surface of the cylinder. The metal matrix composite of the present application may be formed as a brake drum or a brake disc.

A method may comprise: placing a probe in a molten metal melt comprising a thixotropic metal alloy; injecting a gas into the molten metal melt to form a saturated slurry, the saturated slurry being at a temperature above a liquidus temperature of the thixotropic metal alloy after injecting the gas; removing the probe from the molten metal melt; and depositing the molten metal melt through an extruder of an additive manufacturing system.