1. Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wear resistant metal composite which is used in a member which is required to be wear resistant such as a cylinder block, a piston and the like of an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Wear resistant metal composites have been hitherto used in a sliding part of a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine. For example, as such a wear resistant metal composite, there has been hitherto a sliding member in which a reinforcer composed of alumina short fiber and mullite particles is added to aluminium as disclosed in Laid-Open Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-322459.
In addition, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,494, there is disclosed a metal composite in which reinforcing particles such as graphite, fly ash, oil ash or the like is mixed into aluminium molten meal.
However, there are the following problems in the above previous wear resistant metal composites.
That is, in the former sliding member, alumina short fiber and mullite particles have the higher cost. For this reason, it is difficult to manufacture wear resistant metal composites at the lower cost.
In addition, in the latter metal composite, aluminium molten metal containing reinforcing particles is cast into a mold and, at the same time, this is required to be stirred so as not to cause the concentration difference of the reinforcing particles due to their precipitation at casting. For this reason, operations at melting become complicated.
Further, there is a method for reinforcing whole metal composite according to a method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,494. However, in this case, unnecessary parts of a metal composite must be processed, which leads to difficult cutting.