Nanocomposite Aluminum Alloys

On Dec 12 2012, Vince Gimeno and Tim Hill of O’Fallon Casting, attended a meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the ultrasonic dispersion of nanoparticles for strengthening of cast aluminum alloys.  The technical presentation was made by University Professor Xiaochun Li, supporting staff and students.

The purpose for the meeting is to establish an industry-university partnership to advance technical and scientific knowledge of large scale manufacturing of bulk nanomaterials for practical applications. O’Fallon Casting, as an industry leader in the manufacture of Aluminum/Silicon Carbide Metal Matrix Composite Alloys, is following the development of these new materials very closely.

Cast nanocomposite aluminum alloys provide much higher strength and ductility to those currently available for “structural” applications, and hold great promise in automotive and aerospace applications.  The industry-university partnerships are seeking solutions for issues, such as the uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles, to unlock the promise of casting these new materials.

 For further information, the following articles might be of interest:

 Theoreticaland experimental study on ultrasonic dispersion of nanoparticles for strengtheningcast Aluminum Alloy A356  Authors Xiaochung Li, Yong Yang University of Wisconsin-Madison & David Weiss, Eck Industries, Manitowoc, WI

 MetallurgicalScience and Technology Vol. 26-2 – Ed 2008