Development of Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2/ Nano-size γ-Al2O3 Nanocomposite by Ball Milling Process

The strength of conventional aluminium alloys decreases rapidly above 150°C, which limits their applications at elevated temperature. Rapid solidified (RS) nanoquasicrystalline Al93Fe3Cr2Ti2 (at.%) alloy has previously shown outstanding mechanical performance and microstructural stability at elevated temperatures (>300°C). In order to obtain an outstanding Al-based material with very high strength in a broad range of temperature, it is proposed to produce a nanocomposite consisting of nano-size ceramic particles homogenously distributed in a nanoquasicrystalline alloy matrix. The main challenges of processing nanoquasicrystalline nanocomposites in ball milling are to prevent the metastable quasicrystalline phase from decomposition and to avoid the agglomerations of nano-size γ-Al2O3. [abstract continues in thesis]