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Microstructure and morphological study of ball-milled metal matrix nanocomposites

  • Structure, Phase Transformations, and Diffusion
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Abstract

Due to the difficulty of preparation and beneficial properties achievable, copper and iron matrix nanocomposites are materials for which fabrication via the powder metallurgy route is attracting increasing research interest. The presence of ceramic nanoparticles in their matrix can lead to considerable changes in the microstructure and morphology. The effects of the type of metallic matrix and ceramic nanoparticle on the distribution of nano reinforcements and the morphology of ball-milled composite powders were evaluated in this study. For this purpose, 25 wt % of Al2O3 and SiC nanoparticles were separately ball-milled in the presence of iron and copper metals. The SEM, FESEM, and XRD results indicated that as-received nanoparticles, which were agglomerated before milling, were partially separated and embedded in the matrix of both the metals after the initial stages of ball milling, while prolonged milling was not found to further affect the distribution of nanoparticles. It was also observed that the Al2O3 phase was not thermodynamically stable during ball milling with copper powders. Finally, it was found that the presence of nanoparticles considerably reduce the average size of metallic powder particles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Materials Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran

    Y. Afkham, R. Azari Khosroshahi, R. Kheirifard & R. Taherzadeh Mousavian

  2. Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland

    D. Brabazon

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  1. Y. Afkham
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  2. R. Azari Khosroshahi
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  3. R. Kheirifard
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  4. R. Taherzadeh Mousavian
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  5. D. Brabazon
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Correspondence to R. Taherzadeh Mousavian.

Additional information

Published in Russian in Fizika Metallov i Metallovedenie, 2017, Vol. 118, No. 8, pp. 790–800.

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Afkham, Y., Khosroshahi, R.A., Kheirifard, R. et al. Microstructure and morphological study of ball-milled metal matrix nanocomposites. Phys. Metals Metallogr. 118, 749–758 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X17080026

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0031918X17080026

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