Preparation of Ti₃SiC₂ / Al nanocomposite by using mechanical ball-milling method

Ti₃SiC₂ / Al nanocomposite was prepared by using the powder metallurgy method. The result s indicatethat the conformation of the mixture has a significant difference with the milling ball. The particle size of Ti₃SiC₂ will be decreased to about 100 nm and the particles dist ribute homogeneously in the aluminum powder prepared withzirconia balls , whereas the conglomeration will be formed using steel balls and agate balls. Bulk homogeneousTi₃SiC₂ / Al nanocomposite can be synthesized by hot -pressing the mixed powder under a pressure of 20 MPa at550 ℃. Compared with the popular Ti₃SiC₂ / Al composite , the Ti₃SiC₂ / Al nanocomposite has a significant improvement in hardness (from HV 60 to HV 80) and st rength (from 110 MPa to 150 MPa) .