Evaluation of mechanical alloying to obtain Cu-Al-Nb shape memory alloy

The technical viability of preparing a Cu-Al-Nb shape memory alloy by high energy ball milling in a planetary mill has been evaluated. The alloy Cu-13Al-2Nb (wt. (%)) was prepared by mixing pure elemental powders. A ball-to-powder weight ratio of 6:1 and rotation rate of 150 rpm in argon atmosphere were the main processing parameters. The milling time ranged from 1 to 65 hours. Changes in microstructure as a function of milling time were investigated, using X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy. To investigate the viability of producing sintered parts from milled powders,...