The invention relates to a high-strength copper-nickel-tin alloy with excellent castability, hot workability and cold workability, high resistance to abrasive wear, adhesive wear and fretting wear and improved resistance to corrosion and stress relaxation stability, consisting of (in weight %): 2.0-10.0% Ni, 2.0-10.0% Sn, 0.01-1.5% Si, 0.002-0.45% B, 0.001-0.09% P, selectively up to a maximum of 2.0% Co, optionally also up to a maximum of 2.0% Zn, selectively up to a maximum of 0.25% Pb, the residue being copper and unavoidable impurities, characterised in thatthe ratio Si/B of the element contents in wt. % of the elements silicon and boron is a minimum 0.4 and a maximum 8; such that the copper-nickel-tin alloy has Si-containing and B-containing phases and phases of the systems NiSiB, NiB, NiP and NiSi, which significantly improve the processing properties and use properties of the alloy. The invention also relates to a casting variant and a further-processed variant of the high-strength copper-nickel-tin alloy, to a production method, and to the use of the alloy.

A composite member includes a substrate composed of a composite material containing a metal and a non-metal. One surface of the substrate has spherical warpage of which radius of curvature R is not smaller than 5000 mm and not greater than 35000 mm. A sphericity error is not greater than 10.0 ?m, the sphericity error being defined as an average distance between a plurality of measurement points on a contour of a warped portion of the substrate and approximate arcs defined by the plurality of measurement points. The substrate has a thermal conductivity not lower than 150 W/m.Math.K and a coefficient of linear expansion not greater than 10 ppm/K.

Structural metal-matrix composites (MMC) comprising a foam matrix material infiltrated with a binder material, where the binder material binds the foam matrix material to a structural element of a tool, thereby enhancing three-dimensional reinforcement of the tool. In some instances, the structural element is a portion of a wellbore tool or a bit body, such that portions of such tools or bit bodies are composed of the structural MMC. The foam matrix material may be composed of a metallic foam, a ceramic foam, and any combination thereof.

Structural metal-matrix composites (MMC) comprising a foam matrix material infiltrated with a binder material, where the binder material binds the foam matrix material to a structural element of a tool, thereby enhancing three-dimensional reinforcement of the tool. In some instances, the structural element is a portion of a wellbore tool or a bit body, such that portions of such tools or bit bodies are composed of the structural MMC. The foam matrix material may be composed of a metallic foam, a ceramic foam, and any combination thereof.

A metal matrix composite comprises and/or consists of a uniform distribution of calcined ceramic particles having an average particle size of between 0.30 and 0.900 microns and a metal or alloy uniformly distributed with the ceramic particles and wherein the ceramic particles include oxides of two separate metals selected from the group consisting of Al, Li, Be, Pb, Fe, Ag, Au, Sn, Mg, Ti, Cu, and Zn, and in which said ceramic particles comprise at least 15 volume percent of the metal matrix sintered together and wherein said metal-matrix being machinable with a high speed steel (HSS) bit for greater than about one minute without excessive wear to the bit.

To provide an aluminum-silicon carbide composite which is suitable for use as a power-module base plate. An aluminum-silicon carbide composite wherein a peripheral portion having, as a main component thereof, an aluminum-ceramic fiber composite containing ceramic fibers having an average fiber diameter of at most 20 m and an average aspect ratio of at least 100, is provided on the periphery of a flat plate-shaped aluminum-silicon carbide composite having a plate thickness of 2 to 6 mm formed by impregnating, with a metal containing aluminum, a porous silicon carbide molded body having a silicon carbide content of 50 to 80 vol %, and wherein the proportion of the aluminum-ceramic fiber composite occupied in the peripheral portion is at least 50 area %.

A method for making a braking band (2) for a brake disc (1) for a disc brake, comprising the following steps: a) preparing a mold (10) having an inner cavity (11), which comprises a first portion (11a) of a shape corresponding to the braking band (2) to be made; b) preparing a band preform (20) comprising a central preform (200), an upper outer preform (201) and a lower outer preform (202), said central preform (200) being made of porous ceramic material comprising silicon carbide (SiC), said upper outer preform (201) and lower outer preform (202) being made of porous ceramic material comprising silicon carbide (SiC) and infiltrated with silicon (SiC+Si), wherein a carbon barrier layer (201a, 200a, 200b, 202a) made of carbon is interposed between the upper outer preform (201) and the central preform (200) and between the lower outer preform (202) and the central preform (200), said preforms (200, 201, 202) having the shape of the braking band (2) to be made; c) placing said band preform (20) inside the mold at the first portion (11a) of said inner cavity (11); and d) injecting a liquid or semi-solid aluminum alloy inside the entire inner cavity (11) of the mold (11) to infiltrate the central preform (200) of said band preform (20) made of porous ceramic material with said aluminum alloy, obtaining at the first portion (11a) an aluminum metal matrix composite reinforced by said central preform (200) which defines the braking band (2) to be made. A braking band and a brake disc are made with at least the aforesaid method.

A production method for an aluminum-diamond composite having a step of providing a laminate structure including a composition layer containing a diamond powder in an opening of a flat plate-like porous material having the opening so as to be separated from an inner circumferential surface of the opening and a step of press-fitting a melt of a metal containing aluminum into a space between the porous material and the laminate structure and impregnating the composition layer with the melt to form a composited part containing aluminum and diamond and forming metal layers on at least side surfaces of the laminate structure, in which the laminate structure includes a first mold release plate, a first inorganic layer, the composition layer, a second inorganic layer and a second mold release plate in this order.

An example insulation enclosure includes a support structure having a top end, a top wall provided at the top end, a bottom end, and an opening defined at the bottom end for receiving a mold within an interior of the support structure. Rigid insulation material may be supported by the support structure and extending between the top and bottom ends and across the top end. The rigid insulation material may extend between the top and bottom ends and consist of one or more sidewall insulation loops that extend along a circumference of the insulation enclosure.

An example insulation enclosure includes a support structure having a top end, a top wall provided at the top end, a bottom end, and an opening defined at the bottom end for receiving a mold within an interior of the support structure. Rigid insulation material may be supported by the support structure and extending between the top and bottom ends and across the top end. The rigid insulation material may extend between the top and bottom ends and consist of one or more sidewall insulation loops that extend along a circumference of the insulation enclosure.