Effect of milling time on microstructural characteristics of Mg-20 %vol SiC composite produced by mechanical milling

In the present study, Mg–20 vol% SiC nanocomposite powders were produced by mechanical milling. The effect of milling time on the microstructural characteristics of nanocomposite powders during mechanical milling was investigated. The structural evolution during milling was monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray mapping and X-ray diffraction methods. Crystallite size and lattice strain of nanocomposite powders were estimated from the broadening of XRD peaks by Williamson-Hall equation. The results indicated that no intermetallic phases have been synthesized during ball milling; also X-ray map’s results exhibited a uniform distribution of reinforcement particles in magnesium matrix without any agglomeration. With all this taken into account, it can be demonstrated that mechanical milling can be used for producing Mg nanocomposite with 20 percent SiC particles. In spite of all that, the observation of Fe impurity in EDS results can be a weak point of mechanical alloying rout for fabricating Mg- 20% SiC nanocomposite