Composite material made from matrix metal reinforced with mixed crystalline alumina-silica fibers and mineral fibers

Claim 1

A composite material, comprising: (a) reinforcing material which is a hybrid fiber mixture material comprising: (a1) a substantial amount of crystalline alumina-silica fiber material with principal components about 35% to about 80% by weight of Al 2 O 3 and about 65% to about 20% by weight of SiO 2 , and with a content of other substances of less than or equal to about 10% by weight, with the percentage of the mullite crystalline form included therein being greater than or equal to about 15% by weight, and with the percentage of non fibrous particles with diameters greater than about 150 microns included therein being less than or equal to about 5% by weight; and (a2) a substantial amount of mineral fiber material having as principal components SiO 2 , CaO, and Al 2 O 3 , the content of included MgO therein being less than or equal to about 10% by weight, the content of included Fe 2 O 3 therein being less than or equal to about 5% by weight, and the content of other inorganic substances included therein being less than or equal to about 10% by weight, with the percentage of non fibrous particles included therein being less than or equal to about 20% by weight, and with the percentage of non fibrous particles with diameters greater than about 150 microns included therein being less than or equal to about 7% by weight; and (b) a matrix metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, copper, zinc, lead, tin, and alloys having these as principal components; wherein (c) the volume proportion of said hydrid fiber mixture material in said composite material is at least 1%; and wherein (d) the ratio of the volume proportion of said crystalline alumina-silica fiber material to the total volume proportion of said hybrid fiber mixture material is between about 5% and about 80%.