Methods were developed for fabricating sapphire whisker—alu— minum composites using air elutriation techniques and semi-auto matic methods for aligning the discontinuous fibers and compacting them into bundles prior to liquid infiltration. Properties determined were the longitudinal elastic modulus, tensile strength, creep-rupture strength, and fatigue strength. Significant improvement over matrix properties, particularly at elevated temperatures, can be achieved by the use of short whisker reinforcement.
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