Titanium Metal Matrix Composites - Essay Example

The metals which are usually used are Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium and Copper. In case of titanium metal matrix composite the principal metal used is titanium. Hence the metal matrix composite is Titanium metal matrix composite. In the MMC the metal is the monolithic material into which the reinforcement is embedded and it is completely continuous. The reinforcement can be continuous which can be monofilament or multifilament or it can be discontinuous which can be a particle, whisker or short fiber.

They have lot of applications in commercial workspace. Metal-matrix composites are either in use or prototyping for the Space Shuttle, commercial airliners, electronic substrates, bicycles, automobiles, golf clubs, and a variety of other applications. It is widely perceived that Titanium Metal Composites have lot of potential in space propulsion applications. If we look at Titanium and its alloys we can say that they have good corrosion resistance, fatigue properties, and high strength-to-weight ratios.

Products differ in terms of composition, grade, shape, dimensions, and features. Commercially pure, unalloyed or very low alloy titanium does not contain or contains only very small amounts of alloying elements. By contrast, titanium alloys contain significant amounts of added elements or constituents. Clad or bimetal titanium alloys consist of two different alloys that are bonded integrally together. Metal matrix composites have a composite or reinforced metal or alloy matrix filled with a second component, which may be in particulate, chopped fiber, continuous filament, or fabric form.

Other unlisted, specialty or proprietary titanium and titanium alloys are also available. These materials are often based on a unique alloy system, use a novel processing technology, or have properties tailored for specific applications.While selecting titanium and titanium alloys, we also need to check an analysis of dimensions, production processes, and performance features. Outer diameter, inner diameter, overall length, and overall thickness are important dimensions. Most materials are cast, wrought, extruded, forged, cold-finished, hot-rolled, or formed by compacting powdered metals or alloys.

Performance features for titanium and titanium alloys include resistance to corrosion, heat, and wear. Ti MMCs offer provide potential advantages for structural applications, where they combine the high strength, high temperature capability, and oxidation resistance of titanium with an increase in stiffness provided by the ceramic reinforcement. Another thing is that they have the advantage of being isotropic in behavior, cheaper to manufacture and more amenable to subsequent processing and component forming operations.

Of all the potential reinforcing phases for titanium which includes TiB, TiB2, SiC, Al2O3, and TiC, TiB offers the best balance of stiffness, stability, and similarity of thermal expansion coefficients. Other properties, such as the strength of metal matrix composites, depend in a much more complex manner on composite microstructure. The strength of a fiber-reinforced composite, for example, is determined by fracture processes, themselves governed by a combination of micro structural phenomena and features.

These include plastic deformation of the matrix, the presence of brittle phases in the matrix, the