Mechanical alloying (MA) is a solid-state powder processng technique involving repeated welding, fracturing, and rewelding of powder particles in a high-energy ball mill. Originally developed to produce oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) nickel- and iron-base superalloys for applications in the aerospace industry, MA 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. The non-equilibrium phases synthesized include supersaturated solid solutions, metastable crystalline and quasicrystalline phases, nanostructures, and amorphous alloys. Recent advances in these areas and also on disordering of ordered intermetallics and mechanochemical synthesis of materials have been critically reviewed after discussing the process and process variables involved in MA. The often vexing problem of powder contamination has been analyzed and methods have been suggested to avoid/minimize it. The present understanding of the modeling of the MA process has also been discussed. The present and potential applications of MA are described. Wherever possible, comparisons have been made on the product phases obtained by MA with those of rapid solidification processing, another non-equilibrium processing technique.

Mechanical Alloying And Milling

The production and application of metal matrix composite materials

Processing of advanced materials using high-energy mechanical milling

An account is given of the research that has been carried out on mechanical alloying/milling (MA/MM) during the past 25 years. Mechanical alloying, a high energy ball milling process, has established itself as a viable solid state processing route for the synthesis of a variety of equilibrium and non-equilibrium phases and phase mixtures. The process was initially invented for the production of oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) Ni-base superalloys and later extended to other ODS alloys. The success of MA in producing ODS alloys with better high temperature capabilities in comparison with other processing routes is highlighted. Mechanical alloying has also been successfully used for extending terminal solid solubilities in many commercially important metallic systems. Many high melting intermetallics that are difficult to prepare by conventional processing techniques could be easily synthesised with homogeneous structure and composition by MA. It has also, over the years, proved itself to be superior to rapid solidification processing as a non-equilibrium processing tool. The considerable literature on the synthesis of amorphous, quasicrystalline, and nanocrystalline materials by MA is critically reviewed. The possibility of achieving solid solubility in liquid immiscible systems has made MA a unique process. Reactive milling has opened new avenues for the solid state metallothermic reduction and for the synthesis of nanocrystalline intermetallics and intermetallic matrix composites. Despite numerous efforts, understanding of the process of MA, being far from equilibrium, is far from complete, leaving large scope for further research in this exciting field.

Novel materials synthesis by mechanical alloying/milling

A new method for the preparation of amorphous alloys is the mechanical alloying process. So far, three amorphization reaction types were observed when this technique is used. Which reaction type occurs depends on the local conditions during the milling, such as impact energy and local temperature just after an impact. Amorphous alloys prepared by milling following different reaction types are compared to each other and to the corresponding melt-spun alloys. Furthermore, criteria for amorphization and a method to determine the glass forming range of TM-TM systems is given.

Amorphization by ball milling. A review

The mechanical alloying process is a new method for producing composite metal powders with controlled microstructures. It is unique in that it is an entirely solid state process, permitting dispersion of insoluble phases such as refractory oxides and addition of reactive alloying elements such as aluminum and titanium. Interdispersion of the ingredients occurs by repeated cold welding and fracture of free powder particles. Refinement of structure is approximately a logarithmic function of time, and depends on the mechanical energy input to the process and work hardening of the materials being processed. A condition of steady state processing is eventually achieved marked by saturation (constant) hardness and constant particle size distribution, although structural refinement continues. Evidence of this is presented, and the nature of the cold welding and characteristics of the processed powder are described.

T. E. Volin

Papers

The mechanism of mechanical alloying