Study on the effect of high energy ball milling (a nano material process) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a (Al-Si-Fe-Cu) alloy

Abstract

Mechanical alloying is a solid-state powder processing technique involving repeated welding, fracturing, and rewelding of powder particles in a high-energy ball mill. Mechanical Alloying has now been shown to be capable of synthesizing a variety of equilibrium and non-equilibrium alloy phases starting from blended elemental or prealloyed powders.Materials have been found to attain unusual properties in their nano level sizes which are not found in their conventional form.Al-Si alloys containing other transition metals are used in the as cast condition for automotive and aerospace for the engine components. Srivastava etal have studied Al-18%Si-5%Fe-1.5%Cu by rapid solidification technique and have compared the microstructure with that in the cast condition. In the present work an attempt was made to develop this alloy through mechanical alloying route.