Synthesis and characterisation of advanced ball-milled Al-Al2O3 nanocomposites for selective laser melting

Han, Quanquan, Setchi, Rossitza ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7207-6544 and Evans, Samuel Lewin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3664-2569 2016. Synthesis and characterisation of advanced ball-milled Al-Al2O3 nanocomposites for selective laser melting. Powder Technology 297 , pp. 183-192. 10.1016/j.powtec.2016.04.015

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Abstract

Selective laser melting (SLM) offers significant potential for the manufacture of the advanced complex-shaped aluminium matrix composites (AMCs) used in the aerospace and automotive domains. Previous studies have indicated that advanced composite powders suitable for SLM include spherical powders with homogeneous reinforcement distribution, a particle size of < 100 μm and good flowability (Carr index < 15%); however, the production of such composite powders continues to be a challenge. Due to the intensive impacts of grinding balls, the high-energy ball-milling (HEBM) process has been employed to refine Al particles and disperse the nano Al2O3 reinforcements in the Al matrix to improve their mechanical properties. Notwithstanding, the specific characteristics of ball-milled powders for SLM and the effect of milling and pause duration on the fabrication of composite powders have not previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to synthesise Al-4 vol.% Al2O3 nano-composite powders using HEBM with two different types of milling and pause combinations. The characteristics of the powders subjected to up to 20 h of milling were investigated. The short milling (10 min) and long pause (15 min) combination provided a higher yield (66%) and narrower particle size distribution range than long milling (15 min) and a short pause (5 min). The nano Al2O3 reinforcements were observed to be dispersed uniformly after 20 h of milling, and the measured Carr index of 13.2% indicated that the ball-milled powder offered good flowability. Vickers micro-hardness tests indicated that HEBM significantly improved the mechanical properties of the ball-milled powders.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Engineering
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Al-Al2O3 nanocomposite; Selective laser melting; High-energy ball milling; Flowability; Vickers micro-hardness
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0032-5910
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	27 April 2016
Date of Acceptance:	9 April 2016
Last Modified:	07 Jul 2023 07:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/90072

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