CHARACTERIZATION OF AL– AL2O3 NANOCOMPOSITE POWDERS SYNTHESIZED BY HIGH-ENERGY BALL MILLING

Metal matrix composite powders of Al- Al2O3 with weight fraction of 20 % Al2O3 could be synthesized by high-energy milling of the mixed powders. Three different experiments were carried out at the same operating conditions, but with three different rotation speeds; 200, 300, and 400rpm. A homogenous distribution of the Al2O3 reinforcement in the Al matrix was obtained after milling the mixed powders for periods of 60, 45, and 30 h. The homogenous distribution of Al2O3 in the Al matrix was achieved by characterizing these nanocomposite powders by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. X-ray patterns were analyzed by using the Williamson–Hall treatment to determine the crystallite size and the lattice strain.