Investigation of the Milling Time Effect on the Microstructure of Al-5%SiC Nanocomposite Prepared by Mechanical Milling

Aluminum-based metal matrix composites (MMCs) are appropriate materials for structural applications in the aircraft and automotive industries because they are light-weight and have a high strength-to-weight ratio [1]. Uniform dispersion of the fine reinforcements and a fine-grained matrix improve the mechanical properties of the composite. Mechanical alloying (MA), as originally developed by Benjamin [2], is normally carried out in high-energy ball mills. The mechanical alloying process involves repeated welding and fracturing of a mixture of powder particles to produce an extremely fine microstructure. The process is used to produce a variety of materials and alloys such as amorphous materials, intermetallic compounds and metal matrix composites [2]. Two major approaches can be seen in recent mechanical alloying researches [3]. The first approach focuses on the effect of milling time on the mechanical properties of composites. The second approach focuses on the improvement of milling parameters [3, 4]. However, there are only a few articles concerned with the effect of milling time on the microstructure of composites. Therefore, the chief aim of this study is to consider the effects of milling time phase on the structure of Al–SiC composites