Innovative High Strength Nanostructured Aluminum-Based Composites

This Phase II program will concentrate on scaleup of Nano-micro structured Aluminum-Lithium alloys into large 12x12x1"and 24x24x1"plates for use in ballistic and structural applications. The program will investigate consolidation processes such as roll milling, equal channel angular pressing and Extrusion to produce large plate forms. Mechanical Properties of the plates will be measured as well as ballistic (V50) performance. The phase I program showed feasibility with 100% nano aluminum lithium having 1.5GPa yield strength and blended nano-micro grained roll mill samples having ~1GPa Strengths and 2% elongation from nano-micro blends. The Phase II program will scale up this technology to plate product and improve mechanical properties to>1GPa and 5% elongation at failure. Powdermet will also show production capability of 1ton/month nano crystalline powder production and 1 ton/month plate production in the phase II demonstration.