title: Surface hardening of Al alloys through controlled ball-milling and sintering.
abstract: One of the drawbacks of aluminum and its alloys is the lack of proper heat-treatment for surface-hardening. In the present work, a new and simple method of hardening the surface of aluminum and its alloys was developed. Low-energy ball-milling using specific process control agents (PCAs) was employed, using subsequent sintering in a controlled atmosphere. The PCAs in the present work were very effective both for milling and the formation of hard nanocrystalline dispersoids during sintering. The residual oxygen in a sintering atmosphere also played an important role in the formation of AIN or Al-O-N dispersoids. Through the proper control of the processing atmosphere and PCAs, the hardness and thickness of the hardened layers could be adjusted. The results of the wear test showed that the present aluminum alloys can be effectively utilized as light-weight components with a good wear resistance. Furthermore, the present method involves a simple forming process of die-compaction and sintering.
authors.affiliation: School of Material Engineering, Andong National University, 388 Songchun-dong, Andong, Gyungbuk 760-010, South Korea.
authors.forename: Seek Hyeoun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D000535:Aluminum / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D006244:Hardness; D006358:Hot Temperature; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010316:Particle Size; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D000535:Aluminum