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.

Methods for producing oxide/metal composite components for use in high temperature systems, and components produced thereby. The methods use a fluid reactant and a porous preform that contains a solid oxide reactant. The fluid reactant contains yttrium as a displacing metal and the solid oxide reactant of the preform contains niobium oxide, of which niobium cations are displaceable species. The preform is infiltrated with the fluid reactant to react its yttrium with the niobium oxide of the solid oxide reactant and produce an yttria/niobium composite component, during which yttrium at least partially replaces the niobium cations of the solid oxide reactant to produce yttria and niobium metal, which together define a reaction product. The pore volume of the preform is at least partially filled by the reaction product, whose volume is greater than the volume lost by the solid oxide reactant as a result of reacting yttrium and niobium oxide.

The present disclosure concerns composite material having improved strength at elevated temperatures. The composite material comprises a matrix of an aluminum alloy (comprising, in weight percent, Si 0.05-0.30, Fe 0.04-0.6, Mn 0.80-1.50, Mg 0.80-1.50 and the balance being aluminum and unavoidable impurities) as well as particles of a filler material dispersed within the matrix. The matrix can optionally comprise Cu and/or Mo. In some embodiments, the composite material comprises, as a filler material, B.sub.4C as well as an additive selected from the group consisting of Ti, Cr, V, Nb, Zr, Sr, Sc and any combination thereof. The present disclosure also provides processes for making such composite materials.

The present invention provides a method for preparing an in-situ ternary nanoparticle-reinforced aluminum matrix composite (AMC). In this method, an in-situ reaction generation technique is used, and with a powder containing formation elements for producing reinforcing particles as a reactant, in conjunction with a low-frequency rotating magnetic field/ultrasonic field regulation technique, an aluminum-based composite material is prepared using nanoparticle intermediate alloy re-melting. An AA6016-based composite material reinforced by ternary nanoparticles has an average particle size of 65 nm, and has an obvious refinement phenomenon compared with unitary and dual-phase nanoparticles.

The present invention provides an aluminum hybrid metal matrix composite including cerium and graphite. The aluminum-cerium intermetallic is stable at temperatures up to a melting point of aluminum and graphite provides in situ lubrication. This stability is advantageous in applications such as cylinder liners and other applications where strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures are required.

A method for screening a large design space of compositions with possible application as binders in cermet and powder metallurgy applications allows rapid elimination of large portions of the design space from contention so that resource intensive procedures, such as computationally intensive modeling techniques and experimental testing, can be focused on potential binder compositions with a high likelihood of being used successfully. The method relies on parameters such as surface tension, contact angle, viscosity, a special capillary metric that is used to characterize capillary behavior, and melting point, which are relatively easy to calculate or determine, to screen out large portions of the design space. Exemplary binder compositions are obtained using the method.

A component of a downhole tool utilized in oil and natural gas exploration and production comprises inorganic hydrolysable compound-containing materials. The inorganic hydrolysable compounds grant the component the degradability/dissolution in aqueous environment. The inorganic hydrolysable compounds include, but not are limited to, hydrolysable carbides, nitrides, and sulfides, such as aluminum carbide (Al.sub.4C.sub.3), calcium carbide (CaC.sub.2), magnesium carbide (Mg.sub.2C.sub.3 or MgC.sub.2), manganese carbide (Mn.sub.3C), aluminum nitride (AlN), calcium nitride (Ca.sub.3N.sub.2), magnesium nitride (Mg.sub.3N.sub.2), aluminum sulfide (Al.sub.2S.sub.3), aluminum magnesium carbide (Al.sub.dMgC.sub.2), and aluminum zinc carbide (Al.sub.4Zn.sub.2C.sub.3).

The present disclosure provides a metal-ceramic composite structure and a fabrication method thereof. The metal-ceramic composite structure includes a ceramic substrate having a groove on a surface thereof; a metal member filled in the groove, including a main body made of zirconium base alloy, and a reinforcing material dispersed in the main body and selected from at least one of W, Mo, Ni, Cr, stainless steel, WC, TiC, SiC, ZrC, ZrO.sub.2, BN, Si.sub.3N.sub.4, TiN and Al.sub.2O.sub.3; a luminance value L of the metal member surface is in a range of 36.92-44.07 under a LAB Chroma system.

Provided are an aluminum-silicon-carbide composite having high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and low specific gravity and a method for producing the composite. Provided is an aluminum-silicon-carbide composite formed by impregnating a porous silicon carbide molded body with an aluminum alloy. The ratio of silicon carbide in the composite is 60 vol % or more, and the composite contains 60-75 mass % of silicon carbide having a particle diameter of 80 m or more and 800 m or less, 20-30 mass % of silicon carbide having a particle diameter of 8 m or more and less than 80 m, and 5-10 mass % of silicon carbide having a particle diameter of less than 8 m.

Metal-nanoparticle composites, such as metal-boron nitride nanoparticle composites, and methods of manufacturing the same are provided. Ultrasonic casting techniques can be used to achieve uniform dispersion of nanoparticles, such as boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) in a metal matrix, such as aluminum. The BNNTs can be incorporated into the melt of the metal, and ultrasonic treatment can then be applied.