Production of Al based Composites Reinforced with FeAl Intermetallic Particles by Mechanical Alloying

In this research project, Al matrix composite materials reinforced with 5 and 10 (wt. %) of FeAl intermetallic particles were synthesized by Mechanical Alloying (MA) at a speed of 250 RPM for 2, 5, 10 and 15 h of milling time. The results showed that composite materials can be obtained at low energy conditions with improved dispersion of the reinforcement in the Al matrix compared to those obtained by conventional techniques. The composites powders obtained by mechanical alloying at different milling times were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) in order to characterize the morphology and particle size. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) was used to study the structural evolution of the system as the initial powders were subjected to different milling times, thus obtaining the evolution of the present phases, changes in lattice parameters and crystallite size. This study demonstrates the viability of the MA technique to produce composite materials with a homogenous distribution of the reinforcement particles with a great degree of control in the process, which would be very difficult to reproduce by conventional synthesis methods.