Synthesis and Characterization of a Ni3Al Intermetallic Modified with Copper Atoms via Powder Metallurgy

Recent developments in the field of intermetallics have led to a renewed interest in system strengthening in order to improve their mechanical properties. In this work, the synthesis of (Ni,Cu)3Al at.% powders via the mechanical alloying technique is explored under different conditions. The study of NiAlCu alloys was carried out to determine the influence of copper additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Ni3Al intermetallic solid solution with copper substitutional atoms. The obtained compound was characterized by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that during the mechanical alloying process a new intermetallic phase is formed with a higher energy regime of short duration, while at lower energy regimes, the increase in milling time only resulted in higher particle refinement. Therefore, it is shown that during the processing of the NiAlCu powders, the selection of the milling parameters plays a critical and sensitive role in the successful synthesis of (Ni,Cu)3Al powders via mechanical alloying.