Abstract
Since its discovery the process of mechanical alloying has demonstrated significant potential for the synthesis of materials with novel structures and properties. In this paper recent studies of the application of mechanical alloying to solid state refining processes are reviewed. These studies show that mechanical alloying enables displacement reactions, which conventionally require high temperatures to be thermally activated, to be mechanically activated during milling in a ball mill at ambient temperatures. It is shown that mechanical alloying can provide the basis of a single stage process which combines the separate processes of refining, alloying and powder manufacture. Of particular interest is the application of the process to the synthesis of rare earth permanent magnet materials.
