Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) reinforced by aluminum nitride were prepared by mechanical alloying followed by a simple press and sintering method. Milling began under vacuum and after a period of between 1 and 4 h, NH₃ gas flow (1 cm³/s) was incorporated until the total milling time of 5 h was reached. Results show that in addition to the strain hardening taking place during mechanical alloying, NH₃ plays an additional role in powder hardening. Thereby, the properties of the sintered compacts are strongly influenced by the amount of N incorporated into the powders during milling and the subsequent formation of AlN during the consolidation process. The obtained AMC reaches tensile strengths as high as 459 MPa and hardness much higher than that of the as-received aluminum compact.
Keywords: AMCs; aluminum; mechanical properties; mechanochemical processing; powder metallurgy.