Composite Material Processing Laboratory

One process for manufacturing complicated parts such as automobile engines is “melt growth,” which involves melting and solidifying metals. This is the same method used to create ice from water.
But what about metals?
The structure obtained by melt growth of materials such as iron and aluminum is a composite material, a complex intertwining of multiple crystalline phases with different strengths.
Therefore, in our lab…
〇 Utilizing the composite character of solidified metal structures, we are researching solidification and heat treatment processes that control the structure to achieve the desired goal.
〇 Metal 3D printers have been attracting attention in recent years. Products melted and solidified by computer-controlled laser irradiation can sometimes be three times stronger than cast materials. Therefore, we are exploring the mechanism by which a non-uniform solidification structure becomes the strongest.
〇 Melt growth is not limited to metals; it is also used for semiconductor silicon crystals used in solar cells. Because crystal quality affects energy conversion efficiency, we aim to grow unidirectionally from the molten state to produce high-performance polycrystalline silicon.
〇 In large products, the melt is affected in complex ways by convection. We are also studying the movement of the melt ahead of the crystalline phase.