Discontinuously reinforced aluminum: Current status and future direction

Conclusions There are now a number of important production applications for DRA, which span the transportation, aerospace, recreation, and electronics industries and that demonstrate the material’s attractive combination of structural, thermal management, an d wear properties. While large materials suppliers have mostly exited the area, many smaller suppliers are forging ahead to make DRA a success. Expanding this success depends upon the ability of researchers and engineers to continue increasing our fundamental understanding of the materials, to work together in close cooperation to transition the material, and to make the material more user friendly by publishing user handbooks, standardized property databases, and application case studies. he is the advisor to JOM from the TMS Composite Materials Committee. Warren H. Hunt, Jr., is with Aluminum Consultants Group, Inc. For more information, contact B. Maruyama, U.S. Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, 2230 10th Street, Suite 1, AFRL/MLLM, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433; (937) 255-1310; fax (937) 255-3007; e-mail benji.maruyama@ml.wpafb.af.mil.