Bulk Al–Al₃Zr composite prepared by mechanical alloying and hot extrusion for high-temperature applications

Abstract

Bulk Al/Al₃Zr composite was prepared by a combination of mechanical alloying (MA) and hot extrusion processes. Elemental Al and Zr powders were milled for up to 10 h and heat treated at 600°C for 1 h to form stable Al₃Zr. The prepared Al₃Zr powder was then mixed with the pure Al powder to produce an Al–Al₃Zr composite. The composite powder was finally consolidated by hot extrusion at 550°C. The mechanical properties of consolidated samples were evaluated by hardness and tension tests at room and elevated temperatures. The results show that annealing of the 10-h-milled powder at 600°C for 1 h led to the formation of a stable Al₃Zr phase. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results confirmed that the formation of Al₃Zr began with the nucleation of a metastable phase, which subsequently transformed to the stable tetragonal Al₃Zr structure. The tension yield strength of the Al−10wt%Al₃Zr composite was determined to be 103 MPa, which is approximately twice that for pure Al (53 MPa). The yield stress of the Al/Al₃Zr composite at 300°C is just 10% lower than that at room temperature, which demonstrates the strong potential for the prepared composite to be used in high-temperature structural applications.

Keywords

aluminum matrix nanocomposites / mechanical alloying / hot extrusion / aluminides / powder metallurgy

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