Properties Evaluation and Studying Production Mechanism of Nanocrystalline NiAl Intermetallic Compound by Mechanical Alloying

Ni₅₀Al₅₀ intermetallic compound was synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of elemental mixtures of Ni and Al powders in a planetary ball mill. After 16 hours of milling and obtaining crystallites with a critical size, the initial NiAl compound was formed along with the combustive reaction after opening the vial lid. In the time interval of 16 to 128 hours, the reaction from combustive state reached the explosive state. Finally, after 128 hours of milling, the initial powders were wholly transformed into NiAl before completion of the milling time. Structural changes of powder particles during MA were studied by X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The crystallite size measurements revealed that the grain size of the NiAl phase decreased from 155 to 26 nm with increasing MA time from 8 to 128 hours. Microhardness for nanocrystalline Ni₅₀Al₅₀ intermetallic compound produced after 128 hours of milling was measured as about 350 Hv.