Characteristics of ceramic particle reinforced Al composite powder manufactured by a stone mill type crusher using twin roll cast Al alloy flake: a model on the formation of composite powder

5083 and 6061 aluminium composite powders have been manufactured by a newly designed stone mill type crusher using twin rolled 5083 and 6061 flakes and ceramic powders such as Al2O3-TiC and Al2O3-B4C synthesized by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) process. This research reports on the effect of such processing parameters as a gap clearance between the disks and the number of milling times on the formation of aluminium particle and distribution of the ceramic particles, respectively. The variation of the particle shape as a function of the gap clearance was simulated with commercial finite element method (FEM) package. Ceramic particles show a uniform distribution in the Al alloy powder at 0.3 mm of gap clearance and four cycles of milling. This economic composite-powder preparation method involving rapid solidification process may have a potential for producing good composite materials.