Development in manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum preform wires using ultrasonic infiltration method

In this study, we have developed a novel manufacturing process of "preform wires" which are semi-finished materials used for the fabrication of CF/Al composites. The preform wires were continuously fabricated using an ultrasonic infiltration method. The manufacturing apparatus fundamentally consisted of preheating furnace, ultrasonic horn and transducer and taking up reel for winding. Influence of each processing parameter on the infiltration ratio was investigated. As the optimum condition, after carbon fiber was heated at 973 K for desizing, the ultrasonic was applied at 200 W to molten Al-Mg alloy for the infiltration of the molten alloy into the bundle. The addition of magnesium into molten aluminum improved the infiltratability. CF/Al-4.7%Mg preform wires with a tensile strength of 1100MPa was obtained at the fabricating speed of 0.22 m/s. It is clear that the ultrasonic infiltration method is effective to fabricate CF/Al preform wires.