Mill setting and microstructural evolution during mechanical alloying of Mg2Si

The mechanical alloying behaviour of magnesium and silicon to form the intermetallic compound Mg₂Si and the optimum setting of a planetary ball mill for this task, were examined. For the ductile–brittle magnesium–silicon system it was found that the efficiency of the mill is mostly influenced by the ratio of the angular velocity of the planetary wheel to that of the system wheel and the amount of load. The examination of the kinetics inside the planetary ball mill for different mill settings showed that a ratio of angular velocities of at least 3 is necessary to compensate the reduction of efficiency due to slip. The optimum powder load for the 500 ml vial was found to be 10–20 g. The milling process starts with elemental magnesium and silicon bulk particles. During the milling, the silicon pieces are rapidly diminished and together with the constantly forming Mg₂Si they act as an emery powder for the magnesium bulk pieces. Simultaneous to the diminution of the magnesium, alloying occurs.