Continuous fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites - Influence of the alloy composition on the mechanical properties

The use of aluminum as matrix material for continuous fiber reinforced comp osites has been investigated for over 20 years, with varying degree of succ ess: industrial applications of these materials remain very limited. This p aper describes the development of a practical method of producing near net shape, selectively reinforced, components with good mechanical properties i n both unreinforced and fiber containing regions and relates this developme nt to previous work, illustrating the potentials and the limitations of con tinuous fiber reinforced aluminum based composite materials.