Manufacturing and characterization of aa3003 aluminum alloy powders by synthesis of elementary powders by techniques of high energy ball milling

Manufacturing via powder metallurgy has several advantages such as high composition control, excellent dimensional accuracy, and good surface finish, among others, enabling the processing of different materials, including aluminum alloys, with wide application in diverse sectors of production. The present work aims to analyze the processing of an AA3003 aluminum alloy by the high energy ball milling technique (HEBM) under different production conditions. The particle size distribution of elementary and processed particulate was evaluated by laser diffraction. Elemental powders were processed by HEBM using milling intervals of 30, 60, and 120 minutes. The processed particulate materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), complementing the analysis with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), in addition, the phases present were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The characterization of the powders submitted to HEBM revealed that the increase in milling time contributed to the reduction of the average size of the particles, presenting an average diameter close to that verified in the particles of the base elements, Al and Mn.The best results found regarding the manufacture of the AA3003 alloy were found for samples obtained by milling time of 120 minutes, presenting as an effective processing interval to identify characteristic phases of the alloy.