Mechanical alloying and thermal treatment of the Fe-Co-Ag system

The phase transformations occurring during the mechanical alloying process of the Fe-Co-Ag system for different Ag compositions keeping the Fe-Co in equiatomic ratio, were investigated. High energy ball milling of mixed elemental powders with nominal composition of (FeCo)(x)-Ag100-2x and Fe-x-Co-x-Ag100-2x, were studied for different milling periods with the aim to study the phase transformations taking place during the process and also to evaluate the microstructure obtained and the possible miscibility of Ag in the system. Heat treatments of the mechanically alloyed powders were performed and structural characterization of the sintered powders was carried out. The mechanically alloyed powders of the ternary systems showed a good dispersion of Ag into the FeCo grains. However after heat treatment as silver content. increases sintering is more effective and higher densification is obtained. Silver acts as the cementing phase between FeCo particles. The final microstructure of the sintered alloys shows FeCo particles surrounded by silver contours.