Tungsten carbide reinforced aluminum-based composite material is a new type of radiation protection material. Its gamma-ray and neutron shielding performance is better than that of lead. It also has the advantages of high specific stiffness, high specific strength, excellent plasticity, and high stability. More importantly, it is environmentally friendly and harmless, so this new type of radiation protection material can be used in medical shielding and other fields.
In the preparation of tungsten carbide-reinforced aluminum-based composite materials, regardless of the stirring casting method, reaction generation method and powder metallurgy method, it is impossible to avoid the settlement and segregation of the high-density and hard tungsten carbide reinforcement in the aluminum matrix during the mixing process. It causes uneven distribution of reinforcements, which affects the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the material.
In response to this problem, some studies have shown that the uniformity of the mixture can be improved by continuously optimizing the mechanical mixing process parameters, but the applicability of this method is limited, and it is still unable to effectively solve the settlement of high- density tungsten carbide particles.
Some experts have integrated the advantages of the coating method in the preparation of diamond tools and nuclear fuel elements. First, the tungsten carbide particles are coated, and then mixed with 2024Al. The prepared tungsten carbide reinforced aluminum matrix composite reinforcements are uniformly distributed and shaped Excellent.