1.2 Need for the development of new materials

The creation of competitive products in various industries, silicate and construction industry related to the development and mastering of technologies for production of new composite materials with higher technical and economic indicators. First and foremost is the strength and the cost of the used materials. The need for the emergence of such materials is dictated by the gradual depletion of the earth's interior reservoirs of elite raw materials and the appreciation of its production. The solution to this problem is possible through the use of interrelated scientific areas – silicate, technological and engineering.

The solution is associated with a reasonable choice of the chemical composition of the material. Components of composite material (KM) needs to be more accessible and affordable. The fact that people's life is closely associated with silicate materials, it is not surprising, as the basis of their receipt of the most common lies in the nature of raw materials. The contents in the crust of the silica SiO₂ by more than 12%, in addition, it is part of Alymov-likutov, who in turn 75% of the earth's crust (figure 1). In nature, the family of silicates has more than 500 kinds of minerals. To this list people have added a significant number of new artificially synthesized materials. Their basic structural elements, together with SiO₂ are the oxides of aluminum, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, boron, and others and co are present in almost all elements of Mendeleev table. The content of each oxide in certain materials changes from a small fraction to several tens of percent (for example, in quartz glass, the SiO2 content can reach 99.9%).

Figure 1 – Content of minerals in the earth's crust

General properties of silica materials – high mechanical strength, fire retardancy, chemical resistance — explains the high proportion of covalent bonding and polymer structure of silicates. The change in chemical and mineralogical composition and conditions of heat treatment allows to obtain materials with significantly different properties and are designed, Dre various applications. However, despite the variety of composition and properties of silicate materials can be divided into three large groups: mineral binders, ceramics and glass.

1.2.1 Technological directions of development of silicate composite materials

Technological solutions associated with the creation of advanced, less energy-intensive manufacturing processes of composite materials. Analysis of existing methods of production of composite materials shows many criteria that their production is the most ancient and at the same time the most promising. Existing production does not have the ability to create a composition of a specified type in a wide range of percentages of strengthening elements in aluminum matrix. Further development of the theory and practice of this technology due to the need to solve the following tasks:

- the uniformity of distribution of the strengthening phase in the volume of manufactured products;

-optimization the percentages of components from the standpoint of forecasting future technological properties of silicate composite materials (SCM);

- determine the effects of content, size and shape of the oxides on the properties of the composition;

- definition of the basic technological parameters of production of workpieces of different ways of manufacture;

- the development of the necessary technological equipment and tooling for the production of SCM.

Round the problem of technological problems of course wider, but the existing production experience helps them positively to solve.

Design and manufacture of advanced SCM is only possible in a comprehensive understanding of technological problems. This is confirmed by the fact that the methods of calculating future physical and mechanical properties of SCM associated with properties of the chemical elements that make up the composition, their percentage ratio, size, center-to-center distance between the particles of the strengthening phase and.

1.2.2 Main classes of composite materials

Until the present time considering composite materials three main classes:

- dispersion-strengthened (precipitation hardening);

- hardened particles;

- fiber-reinforced.

Composition, reinforced with dispersed particles, are characterized by the fact that the size of the particles are > 0.1 µm. The dispersed phase enhances the tightness of the matrix to deform in the plastic compositions, provides the strengthening in fragile compositions. Such a statement is true only for the case where there are no strong chemical bonds between the components, and then dispersed particles can not be called the reinforcing phase, and act as filler.

1.2.3 Problems in the development of new materials

The need for new materials is growing so rapidly that the pace of studying properties of new materials practically do not have time for their creation. This necessitates not only the availability of modern technology and knowledge of applications of composites, but also data about the properties contained in such form that they can be used in the creation of new materials and products from them.

The objective of the research organizations in the world when the technology is changing so fast, is a departure from the traditions of pure science, on the one hand, and engineering on the other. Often the level of laboratory researches it is sufficient only to describe the materials, the creation of experimental equipment and scientific reports. Research should be focused on the effective application of the developed materials and to shorten the time of development. It is necessary to develop studies of the chemical characteristics of the composites and of the action of the media, and also promotional programs.

Experienced professionals required 15-20 years in order to master the art of product design of new materials such as composites, and it is advisable to use them in a variety of industries. That is why the transition from one structural material to another always depends on the number of designers and analysts who are competent in the use of new materials. This transition will be more effective, the more complete will be used the results of studies that gives an objective assessment of suitability of new materials to solve specific engineering problems.