IPE 4011

Metal Matrix Composite (MMC)

MMC
• Alumina (Discontinuous, Particle)
• Aluminium • SiC
• Magnesium • Zirconia
• Titanium • TiN
• Cobalt • Carbon
• Cobalt-Nickel • Boron
Classifications of MMC

• Sandwich form.
• Metal is taken to the
liquid state and
L/D = <5 • Glass • Glass mat formed into a solid
• ceramic • Cotton mat sheet.
• Carbon rovings • High strength
application
A metal matrix composite (MMC) is a composite material with at least two constituent parts, one being a metal necessarily,
the other material may be a different metal or another material, such as ceramic or organic compound.
 Aerospace Application:
Reinforcements for MMC
Lightweight (Al, Mg, Ti)
The situation in which the MMC is applicable:
High strength
• Low density
High stiffness
• Mechanical compatibility Thermal stability
• High Young’s modulus
• High compression and tensile strength
• Good Process Ability
• Economic Efficiency

• The reinforcement material is embedded into the matrix to enhance or reduce their properties like wear
resistance,hardness, density, porosity, mechanical strength,thermal expansion, thermal and electric conductiveness

• The reinforcement can be either continuous (high strength) or discontinuous (better in manufacturing aspect)
• To achieve required properties:
1. The matrix alloy,
2. the reinforcement material,
3. the volume and shape of the reinforcement,
4. the location of the reinforcement, and
5. the fabrication method can all be varied to achieve required properties
Metal-matrix composites are either in use or prototyping for the Space Shuttle, commercial airliners, electronic
substrates, bicycles, automobiles, golf clubs, and a variety of other applications. While the vast majority are aluminum
matrix composites, a growing number of applications require the matrix properties of superalloys, titanium, copper,
magnesium, or iron.

➢ Regardless of the variations, however, aluminum composites offer the advantage of low cost over most other
MMCs. In addition, they offer excellent thermal conductivity, high shear strength, excellent abrasion resistance,
high-temperature operation, nonflammability, minimal attack by fuels and solvents, and the ability to be formed
and treated on conventional equipment. They are applied in brake rotors, pistons, and other automotive
components, as well as golf clubs, bicycles, machinery components, electronic substrates, extruded angles and
channels, and a wide variety of other structural and electronic applications.

➢ Superalloy composites reinforced with tungsten alloy fibers are being developed for components in jet turbine
engines that operate at temperatures above 1,830 °F.

➢ Graphite/copper composites have tailorable properties, are useful to high temperatures in air, and provide excellent
mechanical characteristics, as well as high electrical and thermal conductivity. They offer easier processing as
compared with titanium, and lower density compared with steel. Ductile superconductors have been fabricated
with a matrix of copper and superconducting filaments of niobium-titanium. Copper reinforced with tungsten
particles or aluminum oxide particles is used in heat sinks and electronic packaging.
Compared to monolithic metals, MMCs have:
•Higher strength-to-density ratios
•Higher stiffness-to-density ratios
•Better fatigue resistance
•Better elevated temperature properties
• -- Higher strength
• -- Lower creep rate
•Lower coefficients of thermal expansion
•Better wear resistance

Creep rate: the tendency of a material to slowly deform over a long period of exposure to high levels of stress.
The advantages of MMCs over PMC are:
•Higher temperature capability
•Fire resistance
•Higher transverse stiffness and strength
•No moisture absorption
•Higher electrical and thermal conductivities
•Better radiation resistance
.
Some of the disadvantages of MMCs compared to monolithic metals and polymer matrix composites are:
•Higher cost of some material systems
•Relatively immature technology
•Complex fabrication methods for fiber-reinforced systems (except for casting)
•Limited service experience
MMC Processing-Fiber Coating Preparation
 Wettability is the ability of a liquid to
MMC Processing-Fiber Coating Preparation maintain contact with a solid surface, and
it is controlled by the balance between the
intermolecular interactions of adhesive
type (liquid to surface) and cohesive type
(liquid to liquid)
In-situ fabrication of Metal Matrix
Composites (MMCs) during
unidirectional solidification
involves the formation of a
composite material where the
reinforcement phase is formed in
situ (within the matrix material)
during the solidification process.
This method allows for controlled
alignment and distribution of the
reinforcement within the matrix,
resulting in improved mechanical
properties along the solidification
direction.