Table Of ContentTechnology Base Enhancement Program
Metal Matrix Composites
Prepared by:
BDM Federal, Inc.
Prepared for:
The North American Defense Industrial
Base Organization (NADIBO)
August 30, 1993
Foreword
This report addresses the collection and analysis of technical, market, and policy
information related to the world-wide Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) industry sector.
The report includes information gathered from a wide variety of sources. Where
appropriate, references are cited in the text in superscript format referring to the numerical
listing of references presented in Appendix D.
The report was prepared by BDM Federal, Inc. (BDM), 1501 BDM Way, McLean,
Virginia 22102 for the U.S. Army Industrial Engineering Activity (IEA); the Productivity
Branch, Industrial Base Division, Manufacturing Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Wright
Patterson Air Force Base, U.S. Air Force; and the Directorate of Defence Industrial
Resources of the Canadian Department of National Defence on behalf of the North
American Defense Industrial Base Organization (NADIBO) under contract number
DAAA08-91-D-0008. Ed Dorchak managed the MMC sector study. Principal authors
were Michael Brown, David Fox, Mel Hafer, Donald Higgins, and Ellen Solos.
The authors would like to express their appreciation to the many individuals
throughout the U.S. and Canadian MMC community, from industry and within the U.S.
and Canadian governments (see Appendix C) for their cooperation in providing essential
information, thus making this effort possible.
Special thanks go to Dr. Liselotte J. Schioler of BDM Technologies, Inc., for her
review of the manuscript.
- i -
Disclaimer
The mention of specific products or companies does not constitute an endorsement
by BDM, the U.S. government, or the Canadian government. Use of the information
contained in this publication shall be with the user's understanding that neither BDM nor
the two Governments, by the inclusion or exclusion of any company in this document,
provides any endorsement or opinion as to the included or excluded companies' products,
capabilities, or competencies. The list of companies contained in this document is not
represented to be complete or all inclusive.
- ii -
Executive Summary
Introduction
In an era of declining defense budgets, the North American defense industrial base
faces the challenges of advancing and maintaining technological superiority with reduced
government research and development funding. In response to this challenge, the North
American Defense Industrial Base Organization (NADIBO) sponsored the Metal Matrix
Composites (MMCs) assessment as a case study to assess the potential for emerging
technologies to continue to advance and to remain viable in the current and projected
economic environment. This assessment provides a methodology and framework for
conducting similar studies in the future and identifies opportunities to enhance the level of
joint effort between the U.S. and Canada in creating and sustaining a viable MMC
marketplace.
Scope
This study assesses the MMC technology base, detailing production capabilities,
process and product technology developments, the current marketplace, and future potential
markets and applications. Facilitators and barriers affecting the MMC sector are outlined,
and roadmaps of actions designed to enhance MMC development activities and foster joint
U.S./Canada activities in this arena are provided.
In the course of this study, government, industry and academic representatives
were interviewed and site visits were conducted. Figure EX-1 identifies the types of
information gathered. An extensive database of the MMC and composite information was
compiled.
Policy
Environment
Demand Demographics
Process Product
MMC
Technology Technology
SectorStudy
Development Development
Production
Products
Capability
Figure EX-1. MMC Sector Study Scope
- iii -
MMCs. Both the U.S. and Canada have a complex and interconnected infrastructure to
deal with the science and technology base. Numerous government programs are offered by
the countries to propel the advanced materials effort forward.
Extensive foreign interest in MMCs, mainly from Europe and Japan, could begin to
overtake domestic MMC capabilities. An increasing number of North American producers
are being purchased by foreign companies. DWA and ACMC, which both receive Title III
funding to develop MMC capabilities, are two examples of former U.S. companies that
have been purchased by European and Japanese companies, respectively.
B
e
n
e
f
i
t
Potential and
s
Existing Applications
Aircraft Skins • • •
Bearings • • • •
Bicycle Frames • • •
Boat Masts & Spars • • •
Brake Rotors • •
Electronics Packaging • • • • •
Electronics/Avionics Racks • • • •
Engine Cylinder Liners • •
Fastening Equipment in Chemical
• • •
Environment- Bolts and Screws
Ground Vehicles • •
Landing Gear Struts • • •
Medical Implants • • •
Optical/Guidance Systems Structures • • • •
Pistons • •
Satellite Antenna Masts • •
Sea Vehicles • • •
Space Structures • • • •
Transmission Components • • •
Tubing in Nuclear Plants • • •
Turbine Engine Components • • • •
Worm Gears • • •
Table EX-3. Applications of MMCs
Significant technology advancement and policy barriers affect the MMC area, as
defined in Table EX-4. Technology advancement barriers generally impede the use of
MMCs more widely in new applications and in product improvements to existing
- vi -
Weight Reduction
Wear Resistance
Stiffness
Tailorable Thermal
Conductivity
Increased Performance at
Elevated Temperatures
Tailorable CTE
Corrosion Resistance
Resistance to Radiation
High Strength
applications either due to lack of knowledge or confidence in MMCs or due to present
limitations of MMCs. Policy barriers generally are economic disincentives which drive
corporate decisions to invest either alone or cooperatively with other MMC participants.
Facilitators that could prove of great benefit in advancing the MMC industry include
the number of current and proposed U.S. policy initiatives and programs geared towards
offering industry many incentives to becoming more involved in R&D activities, with
emphasis on stimulating R&D partnerships, promoting technology transfer, and pushing
dual use products. In regard to joint U.S./Canada efforts, the two nations have a number
(approximately 2500) of agreements and programs in place to foster cooperative
arrangements in the science and technology arena.
Technology Advancement Barriers Policy Barriers
Cost Large Capital Investment Required; Lack of
Investment Incentives
Lack of Commercial Applications MMC Producers' Profit Margin Considerations
Lack of Standardized Test Procedures Government's R&D Focus on Technology Path
Lack of Reliable Analytical Modeling Techniques Long Incubation Time Between Need
Identification and Product Commercialization
Lack of Widely Accessed MMC Government Policies and Regulations
Material Techniques
Lack of Federal and Industry Standards Lack of a Cohesive Planning Process
CTE Mismatch Between Matrix and Intellectual Property Rights Concerns
Reinforcement
Lack of Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques Protection of Proprietary Information
Lack of Repair Techniques Import Controls
Lack of Recycling Techniques Transmission of Classified Data
Table EX-4. MMC Advancement Barriers
Goals
Four goals for advancing MMC technology to support industrial base needs
through joint efforts were identified:
1) Lower the cost of producing and using MMCs;
2) Improve communications between government, industry, and academia;
3) Improve the commercial viability and increase the commercial demand for
MMCs; and
4) Strive to overcome the technical shortcomings of MMCs.
- vii -
Recommendations
Recommendations designed to assist in fulfilling these goals are divided into two
groups - general advancement recommendations, which are geared towards policy
initiatives and apply broadly to all technology base advancement activities, and specific
recommendations, which emphasize specific MMC technology plans. Figure EX-2
presents a roadmap with short and long term target recommendations to achieve general
advancement strategies. These recommendations are organized under three strategies.
Strategy One is to improve the economic viability associated with advancing new tech-
nologies. Strategy Two entails improving communications between government, industry,
and academia. Strategy Three involves improving MMC awareness and capabilities
through improved education.
Figure EX-3 presents a roadmap of specific technology recommendations separated
into five discrete strategies. The five strategies are to: 1) create a low cost MMC insertion
program for automotive applications, 2) develop a program to create military retrofit
applications for MMCs, 3) develop a program to improve secondary processing techniques
for MMCs, 4) improve production techniques for continuous MMCs, and 5) broaden the
scope and improve the existing MMC design, analysis, and test techniques.
- viii
