Ball milling to make 50/50 Mg/Al?

[oldguy]

Ball milling to make 50/50 Mg/Al

 

Commercial MgAl alloy may be produced using Mechanical Alloying technology. Mechanical Alloying is a dry, high energy ball milling process in which an initial blend of powders is repeatedly kneaded together and refractured by the action of the ball-powder collisions. Mechanical Alloying usually produces a powder in which each particle has content similar to that of the initial blend of powders. Mechanical Alloy particles are chemically homogenous to at least the one hundred nanometer (100 nm) level. That is the particles are composed of alloy particles rather than agglomerated clusters of the constituent starting materials comprising the initial blend of powders.

 

http://www.freepaten...09/0320976.html

 

Edited February 2, 2011 by oldguy

[NightHawkInLight]

That sounds like a very inefficient process for something that is already quite simple to manufacture. It would also cost at least 4x as much, as you would need to start with aluminum and magnesium that is already in a powdered form.

 

The primary benefit of using MgAl over straight Mg is that the Mg in the alloy gets protected by an oxide of aluminum on all sides. Regardless of how long you ball mill, I highly doubt the same level of integration could be achieved as is with melting the two together. The alloy is extremely brittle, making the post melt ingots very simple to mill into a fine powder.

[dagabu]

Ball milling to make 50/50 Mg/Al

 

Commercial Mg—Al alloy may be produced using Mechanical Alloying technology. Mechanical Alloying is a dry, high energy ball milling process in which an initial blend of powders is repeatedly kneaded together and refractured by the action of the ball-powder collisions. Mechanical Alloying usually produces a powder in which each particle has content similar to that of the initial blend of powders. Mechanical Alloy particles are chemically homogenous to at least the one hundred nanometer (100 nm) level. That is the particles are composed of alloy particles rather than agglomerated clusters of the constituent starting materials comprising the initial blend of powders.

 

http://www.freepaten...09/0320976.html

 

 

You do know that this method is not used as an actual commercial process right? That is just a patent, there is no company that I could find that uses that method for all of the reasons above plus it would be rather hazardous to do.

[oldguy]

I just thought it was interesting & military comps are usually top of the line.

 

I don’t fathom why they would make it that way either, since smelting the 2 together is so simple.

 

As for costs, it you started with aluminum & magnesium machine shop shavings.

 

It wouldn’t be so bad. But still why?

 

I have already gone overboard on smelting my own & have 2 three gallon buckets full.

 

Plus enough gathered up scrap Al & Mg to smelt 100+ lbs.