POSSIBILITY OF RECYCLING OF METAL COMPOSITE CASTS

Any materials and goods used by a man, both in the past and to-day, are characterized by an important feature, namely a loop depicting particular stages of their existence. The loop starts from the stage of design, and passing through the stages of manufacturing, the use, and scrapping, ends at the recycling procedure. The same cycle undergoes in the case of metal composite materials. The scrap of metal composite materials forms within the whole period from the time of their manufacture until scrapping the goods made with their use. Specific features of the materials cause their recycling to be different as compared to the one used in case of conventional metal goods. The process is more difficult due to differentiation of the phases present in the material and the need of their separating in the course of the recycling process. Increasing extent of the use of metal composite materials is conducive to the growth of recycling range and meaning. The studies and own research of the authors are focused at the metal composite materials manufactured with casting methods, both with particle and saturated reinforcement. The work confirmed and indicated that for some of casted metal materials (both with particle or saturated reinforcement) the recycling process is not properly mastered, that induces the need for further research. The studies and the results of own research enabled defining the lines aimed at efficient recycling of the materials. The authors found that the results obtained hitherto and related to recycling of the casted composite materials may be a sufficiently interesting subject for the specialists dealing with the technology of metal composite casts, who meet at the seminar devoted to coordination of the theory and practice of the technology related to these materials.