Analysis of Ball Milled Aluminium Alloy 7068 Metal Powders

Abstract

Fabrication of a ball mill and subsequent analysis of ball milled AA7068 metal powders is the main objective of this present work. To facilitate this purpose, it is essential to design and fabricate a smaller and compact ball mill. Consideration of the various design parameters of the original larger counterpart plays an essential role for the successful design. This paper deals with the design, fabrication of the compact ball mill for blending and mixing of both metallic and the non-metallic powders. AA7068 metal powder was milled using the fabricated ball mill for various operating hours and the same was analysed. Particle size analyzer was used to find the size of the particles. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was done for analysis and EDAX was done to confirm the presence of AA7068 powder particles. Results indicated that with the increased duration of ball milling the powder particle size was reduced. Hence, by altering the duration of milling, pure or alloy or ceramic powders can be formed with desired properties up to near-net shape as required.