Laboratory of advanced metal matrix composites fabricated by powder metallurgy
Mission
The laboratory main mission is research and development of novel metal matrix composites (MMC) for various fields including energy and transportations sectors, space program, biomedicine, etc. A broad range of powder metallurgy (PM) techniques are used to fabricate such MMC. Our mission is to take advantage of the appealing features of the microstructure in the form of powder, transform it by PM consolidation in unharmful manner in bulk product with interesting set of physical properties and/or other characteristics. In house activities and related infrastructure of the laboratory include:
- fabrication of the powders by gas atomization and ball milling
- powder surface treatment by degassing, nitridation, oxidation and carbonization
- powder characterization by PSA and B.E.T.
- powder mixtures homogenization by turbula and plough like blenders
- powder storage and operation under Ar atmosphere in the glove box
- powder consolidation by uniaxial pressing, CIP, vacuum hot pressing, direct/indirect extrusion, ECAP+BP, forging, rotatory swaging, rolling, sintering
- testing of the physical properties by DMA, LFA and static/creep SPT
In the laboratory we conduct dominantly basic oriented research following namely the processing-microstructure-property link. At the same time, we develop new materials or/and parts for industrial partners. For example, our proprietary MMC developed at the lab include partially bioresorbable TiMg tailored for dental implant application, fully resorbable ultrafine-grained in-situ Zn+ZnO tailored for implantology as endovascular stents or internal orthopedic fixators, thermally stable in-situ Al+Al2O2, Al+Al3Ti and Al+AlN for high temperature service not normally associated with use of conventional Al-based materials, etc. At the laboratory we design and build our proprietary production and characterization machines such as gas atomizer, small punch creep tester, vacuum hot press, vacuum / protective gas furnaces, etc.
SmartGrid – Laboratory aimed at testing the efficient management of production, storage and consumption of energy obtained from renewable sources
Mission
The main mission of the Smart Grid laboratory is to create an environment with technical security that will sustainably provide space for solving problems and research activities aimed at reducing the ecological load through the energy sector:
- efficient use of renewable energy sources
- introducing new energy-efficient appliances into practice
The Smart Grid infrastructure supports the following activities:
- research in the field of utilizing low-potential energy sources (by testing suitable products that can use them optimally)
- research in the field of using high-potential heat (due to the existence of its reservoirs)
- the possibility of storing excess energy and thus the development of systems that do not work with stable alternative energy sources
Mechanical workshop
Mission
The main mission of the mechanical workshop is manufacturing of the samples from materials developed at IMMM SAS needed for characterization and testing. At the same time, the workshop is utilized to manufacture the tools and equipment needed for the material syntheses, processing, characterization and testing. A small series production of the prototypes from developed materials (e.g., Al foam and MMC parts) can be realized too. The mechanical workshop provides the service and maintenance for the entire infrastructure located at IMMM SAS premises.