The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Beverly Y Lum

Zuhair A Munir

Danny C Halverson

A self-sustaining combustion synthesis process for producing hard, tough, lightweight, low exothermic potential product (LEPP)/high exothermic potential product (HEPP) composites is based on the thermodynamic dependence of adiabatic temperature and product composition on the stoichiometry of the LEPP and HEPP reactants. For lightweight products the composition must be relatively rich in the LEPP component. LEPP rich composites are obtained by varying the initial temperature of the reactants. The product is hard, porous material whose toughness can be enhanced by filling the pores with aluminum or other metal phases using a liquid metal infiltration process. The process can be extended to the formation of other composites having a low exothermic component.

Combustion synthesis of low exothermic component rich composites

A self-sustaining combustion synthesis process for producing hard, tough, lightweight B.sub.4 C/TiB.sub.2 composites is based on the thermodynamic dependence of adiabatic temperature and product composition on the stoichiometry of the B.sub.4 C and TiB.sub.2 reactants. For lightweight products the composition must be relatively rich in the B.sub.4 C component. B.sub.4 C-rich composites are obtained by varying the initial temperature of the reactants. The product is hard, porous material whose toughness can be enhanced by filling the pores with aluminum or other metal phases using a liquid metal infiltration process. The process can be extended to the formation of other composites having a low exothermic component.

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Beverly Y Lum