Application of particulate reinforced aluminum matrix composite in airborne photoelectric turret

In order to design and manufacture more excellent airborne photoelectric stable turret, a new type of aeronautical material-particulate reinforced aluminum matrix composite (SiC/Al composite) is investigated. Several crucial technologies, such as pressureless infiltration technology, interface reaction controls and plate's welding are systematically studied. Then, using SiC/Al composites, the airborne photoelectric stable turret frame is successfully prepared in density of 2.94 g/ cm3; modulus of elasticity of 213 GPa and thermal expansion coefficient of 7.9×10−6/K. The frame has decreased the maximum deformation by by 60% and increased the fundamental frequency by 65% as compared with those of aluminum alloy materials, respectively as shown by finite element analysis results. Those are confirmed by vibration test furthermore. Therefore, a significant lightening effect is achieved and the thermal control load is also reduced. The test result indicates that the stable accuracy of the system achieves 19.8µrad and the optical-axis parallelism of pay load is 0.1mrad. The research applies the SiC/Al composites to airborne photoelectric platforms, which makes a effective exploration for the new aeronautical material's application.