Hot-consolidation of mechanically milled amorphous Zr-Cu powders.

Sinterability of mechanically milled amorphous powders has been examined in the Zr-Cu system. The focus of the study is to see the effect of pressure and additive elements on sintering, microstructural evolution and grain growth during annealing. The results of sintering experiments showed that ball-milled powders exhibited a poor sinterability in spite of high surface and grain boundary energy produced by mechanical milling. The sinterability could be improved by the external applied pressure. Soft metals were used as binder phases or additive elements to enhance the ability of consolidation or to produce composite structures. The results showed that high pressure and the use of additives can assist in consolidating the mechanically milled metastable powders.