Metal matrix composite material preparation device

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of metal matrix composites, and relates to a metal matrix composite preparation device which comprises a metal melting furnace, a reinforcement conveying device and a blowing mixing device, and the reinforcement conveying device is connected with the blowing mixing device so as to convey reinforcements to the blowing mixing device; the injection mixing device is provided with an air inlet and a nozzle communicated with the air inlet, the nozzle is inserted into a cavity of the metal melting furnace, the nozzle is arranged below the liquid level of metal melt in the metal melting furnace, and the nozzle is further communicated with a reinforcing body conveying device. And the reinforcing body is fed into the metal melt in the metal melting furnace through gas introduced into the gas inlet. According to the utility model, the enhanced body is mixed with the gas through the injection mixing device, and then is directly blown into the melt in the metal melting furnace, so that the enhanced body is more uniformly stored in the melt, and the agglomeration is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of metal matrix composites, and relates to a device for preparing metal matrix composites. Background Art

[0002] Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are composites artificially combined with a metal and its alloy as the matrix and one or several metal or non-metal reinforcing phases. The reinforcing materials can be fibrous, granular and whisker-shaped silicon carbide, boron, alumina and carbon fibers. For example, aluminum matrix composites are often reinforced with carbon fibers, boron fibers and SiC, B4C, Al2O3 particles, etc. Metal matrix composites have more excellent comprehensive properties than metal matrix materials. They often have high strength and high modulus, and also have the characteristics of non-combustible, non-hygroscopic, good thermal and electrical conductivity, radiation resistance, etc. They are widely used in the fields of aerospace, national defense, transportation, communication electronics, etc.

[0003] The preparation processes of metals and composites usually include melt stirring method, powder metallurgy method, in-situ generation method, pressure infiltration method, etc. The stirring casting method is to add particles into the aluminum alloy melt, and make the solid phase and the liquid phase mix evenly by mechanical stirring, and then cast into ingots, castings, etc. This method has the advantages of low cost and simple operation process. It is the most common preparation process at present. However, due to the small size of the particles, their surface energy is high, and during the stirring casting process, the stirring paddle acts locally, and it is difficult to stir the whole melt, and the particles are prone to agglomeration. The reinforcing body in the outer area of the stirring paddle is prone to gravity separation and segregation due to the density difference with the matrix. How to evenly distribute the reinforcing particles in the melt is a key problem. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a device for preparing metal matrix composites to overcome the problems of insufficient stirring, easy agglomeration, easy oxidation, easy gravity segregation and great difficulty in industrial production operation during the preparation process of metals and composites.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides the following technical scheme:

[0006] A device for preparing metal matrix composites includes a metal melting furnace, a reinforcing body conveying device and a spraying and mixing device. The reinforcing body conveying device is connected to the spraying and mixing device to convey the reinforcing body to the spraying and mixing device;

[0007] The injection mixing device has an air inlet and a nozzle communicated with the air inlet. The nozzle is inserted into the cavity of the metal melting furnace, and the nozzle is arranged below the metal melt level in the metal melting furnace. The nozzle is also communicated with a reinforcing body conveying device to send the reinforcing body into the metal melt in the metal melting furnace through the gas introduced into the air inlet.

[0008] Furthermore, it further includes a hopper for storing the reinforcing body, and the discharge port of the hopper passes through the feed port of the reinforcing body conveying device.

[0009] Furthermore, a furnace cover is provided at the top of the metal melting furnace, and a protective gas inlet communicating with the inner cavity of the metal melting furnace is provided in the upper part of the metal melting furnace.

[0010] Furthermore, the plane of the nozzle is parallel to the bottom plane of the metal melting furnace to form an intersecting inclined plane, so that the air flow ejected from the nozzle forms a blowing swirl in the cavity of the metal melting furnace.

[0011] Furthermore, the injection mixing device further includes a mixing cavity and a gas pipeline. One end of the mixing cavity is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is connected to the nozzle through the gas pipeline. The reinforcing body conveying device is connected to one side of the mixing cavity so that the reinforcing body is fully and evenly mixed with the gas entering from the air inlet in the mixing cavity.

[0012] Furthermore, a preheating device is sleeved on the gas pipeline to preheat the reinforcing body in the gas pipeline.

[0013] Furthermore, the mixing cavity is connected with a plurality of nozzles which are circumferentially and uniformly arranged in the cavity of the metal melting furnace through a plurality of gas pipelines.

[0014] Furthermore, there is at least one injection mixing device, and the nozzles in the injection mixing device are circumferentially and uniformly arranged in the cavity of the metal melting furnace.

[0015] Furthermore, the specific structure of the metal melting furnace can be set as circular, spiral or rectangular.

[0016] Furthermore, the height of the nozzle from the melt level in the metal melting furnace is 1 / 10 to 9 / 10 of the melt height.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the utility model are as follows:

[0018] A device for preparing a metal matrix composite material provided by the utility model first mixes a reinforcing body with a gas through a blowing and mixing device, and then directly blows the mixture into the melt in a metal melting furnace. A rotating air flow is formed by the blown gas to further stir and mix the metal melt and the reinforcing body, which can slow down the influence brought by the density difference between the reinforcing body and the matrix melt, slow down the gravity segregation of the reinforcing body, make the reinforcing body more uniformly present in the melt, and avoid agglomeration.

[0019] Secondly, the metal melting furnace is sealed by a furnace cover, and a protective gas is introduced through a gas protection device, which avoids the oxidation of the metal melt in the metal melting furnace, has a high melt quality, and the reinforcing body will not have an adverse reaction, thereby realizing the efficient preparation of the metal matrix composite material and realizing batch production.

[0020] Other advantages, objectives and features of the utility model will be described to some extent in the subsequent specification, and to some extent, will be obvious to those skilled in the art based on the study of the following text, or can be taught from the practice of the utility model. The objectives and other advantages of the utility model can be realized and obtained through the following specification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the utility model clearer, the utility model will be described in detail preferably with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for preparing a metal matrix composite material in the utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the positional relationship of the blowing and mixing device in the metal melting furnace in the utility model;

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the metal matrix composite material in Example 1.

[0025] Reference numerals: 1 - metal melting furnace, 2 - hopper, 3 - reinforcing body conveying device, 4 - blowing and mixing device, 5 - preheating device, 6 - gas protection device, 1-1 - furnace cover, 1-2 - discharge port, 4-1 - air inlet, 4-2 - mixing cavity, 4-3 - nozzle, 4-4 - gas pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The following describes the implementation modes of the present utility model through specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. The present utility model can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation modes. Various details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present utility model. It should be noted that the drawings provided in the following embodiments only illustrate the basic concept of the present utility model in a schematic manner. Without conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0027] Among them, the drawings are only for illustrative purposes, showing only schematic diagrams rather than physical diagrams, and should not be construed as limitations on the present utility model; in order to better illustrate the embodiments of the present utility model, some components in the drawings will be omitted, enlarged or reduced, which do not represent the dimensions of the actual product; for those skilled in the art, it is understandable that some well-known structures and their descriptions in the drawings may be omitted.

[0028] In the drawings of the embodiments of the present utility model, the same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components; in the description of the present utility model, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc. indicating the orientation or positional relationship, they are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present utility model and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the terms describing the positional relationship in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limitations on the present utility model. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0029] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 , which is a device for preparing a metal matrix composite material, including a metal melting furnace 1, a hopper 2, a reinforcement conveying device 3, a spraying and mixing device 4, a preheating device 5, and a gas protection device 6. A furnace cover 1-1 is provided at the top of the metal melting furnace 1, and a discharge port 1-2 is provided at the bottom.

[0030] The discharge port of the hopper 2 is connected to the spraying and mixing device 4 through the reinforcement conveying device 3 to convey the reinforcement in the hopper to the spraying and mixing device 4. The spraying and mixing device 4 has an air inlet 4-1 and a nozzle 4-3 communicated with the air inlet. The nozzle 4-3 is inserted into the cavity of the metal melting furnace 1, and the plane of the nozzle is parallel to the bottom plane of the metal melting furnace 1 to form an intersecting inclined plane (non-parallel plane), so that the airflow ejected from the nozzle forms a spraying swirl in the cavity of the metal melting furnace 1.

[0031] The gas protection device 6 is a protective gas inlet arranged at the upper part of the metal melting furnace 1.

[0032] Specifically, the spray mixing device 4 also includes a mixing chamber 4-2 and a gas pipeline 4-4, one end of the mixing chamber 4-2 is connected to the air inlet 4-1, and the other end is connected to the nozzle 4-3 through the gas pipeline 4-4, and the reinforcement conveying device 3 is connected to one side of the mixing chamber 4-2, so that the reinforcement is fully and evenly mixed with the gas entering from the air inlet 4-1 in the mixing chamber 4-2.

[0033] The reinforcement conveying device 3 can be specifically configured as a screw conveying device to continuously convey the reinforcement.

[0034] Preferably, a preheating device 5 is provided on the gas pipeline 4-4 to preheat the reinforcement in the gas pipeline 4-4; specifically, the preheating device 5 can be set as an electromagnetic heating device or a radiation convection heating device or other heating device capable of heating in the air.

[0035] Preferably, the present embodiment includes a plurality of spray mixing devices 4, and the nozzles 4-3 in the plurality of spray mixing devices 4 are uniformly arranged circumferentially in the cavity of the metal melting furnace 1; preferably, the number of the nozzles 4-3 is 1 to 6.

[0036] In another embodiment, there is one blowing mixing device 4, but the mixing chamber 4-2 is connected to a plurality of nozzles 4-3 uniformly arranged circumferentially in the chamber of the metal melting furnace 1 through a plurality of gas pipelines 4-4.

[0037] Key References Figure 2 The angle formed by the nozzle plane and the bottom plane of the metal melting furnace 1 can be set to 10° to 170°, preferably 30° to 70°.

[0038] Specifically, the specific structure of the metal melting furnace can be set to be circular, spiral or rectangular; the height of the nozzle from the liquid surface of the melt in the metal melting furnace is 1 / 10 to 9 / 10 of the melt height; valves are provided at the through holes such as the discharge port 1-2, the gas protection device 6 and the air inlet 4-1 to open and close the corresponding flow channel.

[0039] The process for preparing a metal-based composite material by using the metal-based composite material preparation device comprises the following steps:

[0040] Melting: adding the base metal material into the metal melting furnace 1 to melt it to obtain a metal melt;

[0041] Melt protection: adding a covering agent, or spraying an inert gas from a gas protection device 6 to protect the metal melt, and closing the metal melting furnace 1 by a furnace cover;

[0042] Blowing gas: A non-reactive gas (nitrogen or inert gas) is blown onto the molten metal through the blowing and mixing device 4 to generate a swirling flow in the melt;

[0043] Adding reinforcement: A sufficient amount of reinforcement material is stored in the hopper 2. The reinforcement is transported to the blowing and mixing device 4 through the reinforcement conveying device 3 and mixed with the non-reactive gas. Then, it is preheated by the preheating device 5 under the drive of the non-reactive gas and enters the molten metal through the nozzle 4-3;

[0044] Uniform stirring: The rotating gas flow entering the melt is used to stir the molten metal and the reinforcement, and finally a molten metal matrix composite with uniformly dispersed reinforcement is obtained.

[0045] Specifically, the reinforcement material is in the form of powder, particles or fibers, with a particle size less than 1000 μm; the preheating temperature of the reinforcement is 50 - 300 °C; the inlet pressure of the blowing and mixing device 4 is 50 - 500 kPa.

[0046] Based on the preparation device, this preparation process uses the rotating bubbles dispersed in the melt to stir the reinforcement in the molten metal. Since the bubbles are evenly distributed in the melt, overall force stirring of the melt can be achieved, and the reinforcement is evenly distributed in the melt, avoiding agglomeration; at the same time, the reinforcement is efficiently mixed in the gas before being added and can be dispersed into the melt, laying a premise for avoiding agglomeration; through the cooperation of the gas protection device and the furnace cover, the addition process can achieve closed control, avoiding oxidation of the melt, with high melt quality and no adverse reactions occurring to the reinforcement, so as to achieve the efficient preparation of metal matrix composites and realize batch production.

[0047] Example 1

[0048] An aluminum matrix composite, with the matrix being a modified aluminum alloy AlSi12Mg. The chemical composition of the modified aluminum alloy AlSi12Mg is Si: 12%, Cu: 2.0%, Mn: 0.15%, Mg: 1.0%, Ni: 0.8%, Fe: 0.5%, and Al: the balance; the reinforcement is Al2O3 fiber.

[0049] After melting the modified aluminum alloy AlSi12Mg in a metal melting furnace, when the melt temperature is between 600 - 900 °C, turn on the gas protection device to allow an inert gas to enter the furnace to protect the melt. The reinforcing material is pre-loaded in the hopper in advance. When adding the reinforcing material, first connect the spray gun, determine the position of the spray gun, turn on the gas injection device, turn on the preheating device, and a gas that does not react with the melt causes a steady swirl in the melt under the injection effect. Turn on the reinforcing material conveying device, and the reinforcing material enters the injection device, is mixed evenly under the action of the gas, then is preheated by the preheating device, and enters the melt. The reinforcing material is evenly dispersed into the metal melt under the dispersion, floating and stirring of the bubbles. After the addition of the reinforcing material is completed, turn off the reinforcing material conveying device. The injection device continues to inject for 5 - 20 minutes and then is turned off. After the metal melt is left standing, it is subjected to ingot casting or pouring through the discharge opening of the melting furnace.

[0050] For key reference Figure 3 , for the metal matrix composite material prepared in this embodiment, the reinforcing fibers are evenly dispersed in the metal melt without obvious agglomeration phenomenon. Therefore, it can be seen that the preparation device provided by the present utility model can stably produce and mass-produce metal matrix composite materials.

[0051] Example Two

[0052] For the aluminum matrix composite material, the matrix is aluminum alloy 7075, and the composition of its 7075 aluminum alloy is Si: 0.40%, Fe: 0.50%, Cu: 1.5%, Mn: 0.30%, Mg: 2.5%, Cr: 0.24%, Zn: 5.4%, Ti: 0.20%, and the balance is aluminum Al; the reinforcing material is 0.5% SiC reinforcing particles.

[0053] After melting the 7075 aluminum alloy in a metal melting furnace, when the melt temperature is between 660 - 900 °C, turn on the gas protection device to allow an inert gas to enter the furnace to protect the melt. The reinforcing material is pre-loaded in the hopper in advance. When adding the reinforcing material, first connect the spray gun, determine the position of the spray gun, turn on the gas injection device, turn on the preheating device, and a gas that does not react with the melt causes a steady swirl in the melt under the injection effect. Turn on the reinforcing material conveying device, and the reinforcing material enters the injection device, is mixed evenly under the action of the gas, then is preheated by the preheating device, and enters the melt. The reinforcing material is evenly dispersed into the metal melt under the dispersion, floating and stirring of the bubbles. After the addition of the reinforcing material is completed, turn off the reinforcing material conveying device. The injection device continues to inject for 5 - 20 minutes and then is turned off. After the metal melt is left standing, it is subjected to ingot casting or pouring through the discharge opening of the melting furnace.

[0054] For the metal matrix composite material prepared in this embodiment, the reinforcing material is evenly dispersed in the metal melt without obvious agglomeration phenomenon. Therefore, it can be seen that the preparation device provided by the present utility model can stably produce and mass-produce metal matrix composite materials.

[0055] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention rather than to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technical solution, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for preparing a metal matrix composite material, characterized in that: It includes a metal melting furnace, a reinforcing body conveying device and a blowing and mixing device. The reinforcing body conveying device is connected to the blowing and mixing device to convey the reinforcing body to the blowing and mixing device; The blowing and mixing device has an air inlet and a nozzle communicated with the air inlet. The nozzle is inserted into the cavity of the metal melting furnace, and the nozzle is arranged below the metal melt level in the metal melting furnace. The nozzle is also communicated with the reinforcing body conveying device to send the reinforcing body into the metal melt in the metal melting furnace through the gas introduced into the air inlet.

2. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, wherein: It further includes a hopper for storing the reinforcing body, and the discharge port of the hopper passes through the feed port of the reinforcing body conveying device.

3. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A furnace cover is provided at the top of the metal melting furnace, and a protective gas inlet communicating with the inner cavity of the metal melting furnace is provided in the upper part of the metal melting furnace.

4. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plane of the nozzle is parallel to the bottom plane of the metal melting furnace to form an intersecting inclined plane, so that the air flow ejected from the nozzle forms a blowing swirl in the cavity of the metal melting furnace.

5. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blowing and mixing device further includes a mixing cavity and a gas pipeline. One end of the mixing cavity is connected to the air inlet, and the other end is connected to the nozzle through the gas pipeline. The reinforcing body conveying device is connected to one side of the mixing cavity, so that the reinforcing body is fully and evenly mixed with the gas entering from the air inlet in the mixing cavity.

6. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A preheating device is sleeved on the gas pipeline to preheat the reinforcing body in the gas pipeline.

7. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The mixing cavity is connected with a plurality of nozzles which are circumferentially and uniformly arranged in the cavity of the metal melting furnace through a plurality of gas pipelines.

8. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is at least one blowing and mixing device, and the nozzles in the blowing and mixing device are circumferentially and uniformly arranged in the cavity of the metal melting furnace.

9. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The specific structure of the metal melting furnace can be set as circular, spiral or rectangular.

10. The metal matrix composite material preparation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the nozzle from the melt level in the metal melting furnace is 1 / 10 to 9 / 10 of the melt height.

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