Casting of Ashalloy metal matrix composites: 1993. Interim report

Technical Report · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:251384

Rohatgi, P K ^[1]

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1. Wisconsin Univ., Milwaukee, WI (United States)

Research carried out to demonstrate the potential use of fly ash in producing Aluminum-Fly Ash Composites ``Ashalloy Composites`` by solidification processing is described in this report. Coal fly ash samples supplied by Wisconsin Electric Power Company and PSI Energy were characterized for their morphology, size distribution, and other physical properties, before using them for synthesis of Ashalloy composites. Ashalloy composites containing up to 20 vol% of fly ash were produced by stir casting techniques. Limited work on powder metallurgy synthesis of Ashalloy composites indicated that it may not be a very promising route. Techniques were successfully developed to produce preform from both precipitator fly ash and cenosphere fly ash using mono aluminum phosphate as a binder. In addition, pressure infiltration techniques involving pressurizing molten aluminum over these fly ash preforms were developed to produce aluminum-matrix composites containing over 50 volume percent fly ash. Microstructure of pressure infiltrated Ashalloy castings show uniform distribution of large volume percentages (greater than 40 vol%) of precipitator or cenosphere fly ash in the matrix of aluminum alloys which is in intimate contact with the surface of fly ash particles. The results of the investigation demonstrate that large volume percentages, over 40 volume percent, fly ash particles can be uniformly dispersed in the matrix of aluminum alloys to produce aluminum alloy-fly ash composites. The aluminum alloys containing dispersed fly ash particles have attractive mechanical and physical properties along with reduced costs, and can find industrial uses resulting in the enhanced use of fly ash which is a by-product of electric power industry.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Wisconsin Univ., Milwaukee, WI (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 251384
• Report Number(s): EPRI-TR--105822
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
CASTING
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COAL
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLY ASH
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
IMPREGNATION
MICROSTRUCTURE
POWDER METALLURGY
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION