Method for manufacturing composite materials

Abstract

A method and apparatus for manufacturing composite materials are provided. In a first embodiment, a binding material is placed on a heat-resistant filter that is placed on hollow particles in a pressurizable container. Under pressure and heat, the binding material flows through the filter and infiltrates the spaces between the hollow particles. In a further embodiment, composite material wire is produced by coating the surfaces of inorganic fiber bundles with a metal oxide by dipping in a solution of a hydrolyzable organic metal compound and hydrolyzing and heat-treating prior to continuous infiltration under pressure. In a further embodiment, the apparatus includes orifices with enlarged diameter sections. In a still further embodiment, an apparatus is provided with ultrasonic vibration.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of forming a composite material from hollow particles having a mean particle size between 0.1 to 300 μm and a metal binding agent, comprising the steps of: 
 placing hollow particles into a pressurizable container;  
 placing a heat-resistant filter on the hollow particles;  
 placing a metal binding agent on the heat-resistant filter;  
 evacuating the pressurizable container;  
 heating the pressurizable container;  
 pressurizing the pressurizable container to cause the binding agent to flow through the heat-resistant filter to fill spaces between the hollow particles to form a hollow particle-metal matrix composite material;  
 cooling the hollow particle-metal matrix composite material.  
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the hollow particles as ceramic-based hollow particles.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the hollow particles as at least one of silas balloons, glass balloons, or alumina balloons.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the hollow particles as carbon balloons.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the binding agent as at least one of gold, gold alloy, silver, silver alloy, copper, copper alloy, tin, tin alloy, iron, iron alloy, cobalt, cobalt alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, lead, lead alloy, aluminum, or aluminum alloy.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the heat-resistant filter as a ceramic-based filter.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing the heat-resistant filter as a mullite-based material.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising pressurizing the pressurizable container with an inert gas.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising cooling the hollow particle-metal matrix composite material sufficiently rapidly to form a fine-grained structure.  
     
     
         10 . A method for the production of inorganic fiber-reinforced metal matrix composite wires comprising: 
 dipping inorganic fiber bundles in a solution of a hydrolyzable organic metal compound;    hydrolyzing and heat-treating the organic metal compound so that the inorganic fiber surfaces are coated with a metal oxide; and    infiltrating under pressure a molten metal into the inorganic fiber bundles.    
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein in the infiltrating step, the molten metal comprises aluminum, an aluminum alloy, titanium, a titanium alloy, chromium, a chromium alloy, cobalt, a cobalt alloy, zinc, a zinc alloy, tin, a tin alloy, copper, a copper alloy, a superalloy of nickel, a superalloy of chromium, or a superalloy of cobalt.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein in the dipping step, the organic metal compound comprises a metal alkoxide.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein in the dipping step, the organic metal compound comprises an alkoxysilane.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the alkoxysilane comprises tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, or tetrabutoxysilane.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein in the dipping step, the solution includes a metal chloride.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein in the dipping step, the solution includes toluene.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein in the hydrolyzing step, further comprising passing the inorganic fiber bundles through a heating oven in the presence of water vapor.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising providing the inorganic fiber bundles as carbon fibers, ceramic fibers, or metal fibers.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising providing the inorganic fiber bundles as ceramic fibers comprising aluminum oxide or silicon carbide.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising providing the inorganic fiber bundles as metal fibers comprising tungsten fibers.