ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 described the science and technology of explosive compaction of metals and alloys. This chapter is about metal matrix composites. Metal matrix composites are promising materials for obtaining a variety of tailored properties. Explosive compaction is a very general method, especially as a laboratory tool for making any arbitrary composite. Successful explosive compaction requires an extensive study of the effect of various process parameters on the densification of the mixtures of powders. While limited information has been generated concerning the effect of various process variables on compaction of elemental powders, there is very little information on explosive compaction of metal matrix composites. In view of this lacunae, this chapter presents some available data on the effect of process parameters on the explosive compaction of Al/SiCp powders and 2124 Al/SiCp powders using trimonite powder explosive containing ammonium nitrate, TNT and aluminium. Microstructures, ageing behaviour and mechanical properties of these materials have also been described. The two simple metallic systems may serve as useful models for understanding the difficulties involved in the explosive compaction of metal matrix composites.
