Pressure Infiltration Cast Metal Matrix Composite Components

THE MIT DEVELOPED PRESSURE INFILTRATION CASTING PROCESS RESULTS IN NEAR ABSOLUTE NET-SHAPE COMPONENTS DUE TO ITS INHERENT CONTROL OF CASTING PARAMETERS, PRECISION OF TOOLING MANUFACTURING, DIMENSIONAL CONTROL OF TOOLING, AND THE ABILITY TO FILL THIN SECTIONS IN REINFORCED Al AND Mg MATRIX COMPONENTS. THE PROCESS IS ALSO ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE OF ITS ABILITY TO CAST COMPLEX COMPONENTS FROM NORMALLY DIFICULT TO CAST, BUT OTHERWISE ATTRACTIVE ALLOYS. HOWEVER, THE PROCESS IS EXPENSIVE DUE TO THE LONG CYCLE TIME. PROPOSED HERE IS A HIGH RISK BUT POTENTIALLY HIGH PAY-OFF APPROACH TO INCREASING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE PROCESS BY A FACTOR OF 60 TO 90. AT THIS RATE, THE PROCESS WILL BE MORE COMPETITIVE THAN EITHER SQUEEZE CASTING OR DIE CASTING. THE PRINCIPAL PHASE I OBJECTIVE IS TO DECREASE THE CYCLE TIME FROM THE CURRENT 3 HR TO 6-10 MIN WITHOUT SACRIFICING CASTING QUALITY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PROCESS. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, WE WILL INVESTIGATE ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES THAT WILL INCREASE THE THROUGHPUT OF THE CASTING MACHINE AND WILL DETERMINE IF THESE PROCESSES CAN BE SCALED. WE WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE METHODS FOR MORE RAPID HEAT REMOVAL AND FOR INCREASING THE PRODUCTIVE VOLUME OF A GIVEN PRESSURE INFILTRATION CASTING MACHINE.