Mechanical Study on Al-based Composites Synthesized by Mechanical Milling and Hot Extrusion

Al-based composites were fabricated by solid-state route and were characterized by optic and scanning electron microscopy in order to follow their microstructural evolution. Composites were prepared using powder metallurgy techniques in order to obtain samples to carry out mechanical tests on hot extruded and machined samples. Microstructural characterization reveals that, by milling, a homogeneous dispersion of insoluble particles into Al matrix is obtained; this produced an important improvement on hardness and strength compared with the reference. Milling intensity and particle concentration have an important effect on the mechanical properties of composites.