Addition of 0.2% Nuenz silicon nitride fibre to the industrial epoxy-based floor coating resulted in a 20.3% increase in flexural strength and 8.3% increase in hardness. There was no significant change in the ductility of the epoxy.
Hardness is a good generic indicator of the wear properties of a material. A flooring compound will primarily be subject to wear and tear, so an increase in flexural strength, modulus and hardness were good early indicators for positive effects in a flooring compound.
Addition of 0.5% Nuenz silicon nitride fibre to a 2XXX aluminium alloy resulted in 9-10% increase in the mechanical properties with almost no change to the ductility. There was good densification of the alloy with the target 2.75g/cm3 achieved.
The silicon nitride fibre survived the processing of the aluminium composite at temperatures above 600°C as shown by the images.
2XXX alloys are used in automotive parts, such as cam caps and piston heads. The desired properties are increased wear and good dispersion of the ceramic particles to eliminate fatigue in the high-cycle components.
Addition of 0.2% Nuenz silicon nitride fibre to a polyester infusion resin was successfully infused through multiple layers of fibreglass (total > 2000g/m2). The silicon nitride fibres are classed as an ultra-fine fibre and infused through the fibreglass without causing blockage.
The silicon nitride fibre was dispersed into the polyester using Nuenz's dispersion technology and resulted in a significant increase in tensile and flexural properties over the incumbent technology.
Stainless steel with 0.5% silicon nitride fibre was printed using a Renishaw Selective Laser Melting (SLM) machine. The consolidated parts had increased strength, good ductility and a significantly improved printing resolution.
Aluminium alloy 7075 was successfully made using Binder-jet additive manufacturing technology. The test parts were made using a standard binder and sintered using Nuenz’s aluminium sintering facilities in our composite laboratory.
The parts exceeded the MPIF Standard 35 in the T1 condition with a density of 2.70 g/cm3 and a HRE hardness of 64 (ASTM E18-14). The morphology showed good microstructure.
Lighter. Stronger. Faster.
