Institute of Materials Science, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District, Far East Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Khabarovsk, Russia:

V. V. Gostishchev, Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Structural and Instrumental Materials
S. N. Khimukhin, Head of the Laboratory of Structural and Instrumental Materials, e-mail: ximyxin@yandex.ru

Pacific State University, Khabarovsk, Russia:

E. D. Kim, Postgraduate Student
E. H. Ri, Head of the Department of Foundry Production and Technology of Metals

Disperse-hardened alumomatrix composite alloys have unique properties that ensure high performance characteristics and satisfy the material requirements for new technology. This work presents the results of research which yielded a new method for the preparation of the aluminum-matrix composite alloy on the basis of Al – Ni – W system. The synthesis method of the composite is based on the metal-thermal reduction of the initial compounds of tungsten and nickel in a melt of sodium chloride to metal powders while simultaneously combining them with the matrix aluminum melt by mechanical stirring. It is established that the reduction of the initial compounds of tungsten and nickel by aluminum in a melt of sodium chloride at a temperature of 850–900 ^oC results in the production of finely-dispersed metallic powders, which are identified by the methods of elemental, X-ray phase and granulometric analyzes. It was shown that the average particle size and the specific surface area of the powders were 12.8 μm, 2.3 m²/g (W) and 6.6 μm, 4.7 m²/g (Ni), respectively. The yield of powders reaches a maximum (91–96% by weight) with a 20% excess of aluminum relative to the calculated one. A composite Al – 3.42% Ni – 1.56% W alloy was obtained in the simultaneous reduction and simultaneous introduction of tungsten and nickel powders into a matrix aluminum melt. As a result of the separate introduction of tungsten and nickel powders into the aluminum melt, the following alloys were obtained: Al – 0.15% W and Al – 4% Ni. It is noted that the effect of combining the reinforcing powders of tungsten and nickel with the matrix melt of aluminum is due to several factors: superheating of the melts to 900–950 ^oC, introduction of tungsten powder together with reactive nickel, intensive mechanical stirring. According to micro-X-ray analysis, the alloys obtained have a homogeneous structure. In the Al – Ni – W alloy, nickel and tungsten in the form of a solid solution with aluminum, as well as the Al₃Ni phase, are distributed in the local zones of the alloy structure.

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