Novel Nanostructured Magnesium Composites for Lightweight, Structural Applications

MATSYS proposes to develop novel compositions and processing techniques to produce lightweight, high-strength, nanostructured, Mg-based composites for structural and light armor applications. This effort will combine new approaches in composite material design with our unique expertise in instrumented-Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) to develop a new generation of cost-efficient, low density and high strength composite materials. In the proposed concept we will use mechanical alloying (MA) to prepare Mg-based alloys and strengthen them by dispersing hard particles, such as boron carbide, and achieving a nano-grained composite powder. The powder will then be consolidated to full density using instrumented-HIP to minimize the exposure of the powder to high temperature and preserve the microstructure of the starting powder. This primary consolidation step will be followed by secondary processing, such as extrusion or rolling, to break the oxide layer and enhance the mechanical properties of the composite. During this program, we will demonstrate the use of MA and instrumented-HIP followed by secondary processing to achieve the desired nanostructure in a fully dense composite, and quantify the mechanical properties of the composite and their dependence on the amount of reinforcement. MATSYS will demonstrate the versatility of the approach by fabrication of plates for ballistic evaluation.