WEAR RESISTANT FERROUS METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES FOR MSW PROCESSORS

NEW MATERIALS ARE NEEDED FOR THE SOLID WASTE PROCESSING INDUSTRY WHICH WILL PROVIDE IMPROVED EROSION AND CORROSION RESISTANCE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO DETERMINE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF PRODUCING FERROUS METAL/CERAMIC COMPOSITES BY HIGH-TECHNOLOGY, DIRECT CASTING METHODS--TERMED RHEOCASTING AND COMPOCASTING. THE RESULTING MATERIAL IS EXPECTED TO COMBINE THE STRENGTH AND IMPACT RESISTANCE PROPERTIES OF IRON WITH THE ABRASION RESISTANCE PROPERTIES OF CERAMIC MATERIALS. CONVENTIONAL DIRECT CASTING METHODS FOR ENTRAINING CERAMIC PARTICLES INTO LIQUID METAL HAVE BEEN LARGELY UNSUCCESSFUL. EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AIMED AT EMBEDDING CERAMIC MATERIALS IN ALUMINUM ALLOYS USING COMPOCASTING HAVE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL. EVALUATION OF WEAR RESISTANCE IN ALUMINUM/CERAMIC COMPOSITES PRODUCED BY COMPOCASTING DEMONSTRATED WEAR PROPERTIES FOR ALUMINUM APPROACHING THAT OF STEEL--DEPENDING ON CHOICE OF CERAMIC MATERIAL AND PARTICLE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE COMPOCASTING TECHNOLOGY CAN BE EXTENDED TO FERROUS/CERAMIC COMPOSITES TO ACHIEVE WEAR PROPERTIES NEVER BEFORE ATTAINABLE IN METAL ALLOYS. ABRASION RESISTANCE TESTING WILL BE CONDUCTED USING CERAMIC MATERIALS OBTAINED FROM COMMERCIAL RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITIES.