Low-temperature processing of Fe–Al intermetallic coatings assisted by ball milling

A novel technique has been developed to produce Fe–Al intermetallic coatings on steel. This technique applies mechanical vibration to a retort, which is loaded with Al powder, alumina filler, ammonium chloride activator and FeCrAl alloy balls. The operation temperature was from 440 to 600 °C. This technique produced coatings with thickness of 17 μm for 15 min and 90 μm for 120 min treatment at 560 °C. The coatings appear to be homogeneous, with a high density and free of porosity, and have excellent adherence to the substrate. The coatings consisted mainly of η-Fe2Al5 with small amounts of θ-FeAl3 and β-FeAl, and exhibited a nano-structure. Microstructure studies suggested that the formation of the intermetallic phases at a low temperature has a complex mechanism, including the formation of a thin Al layer on the substrate by ball milling; Al-rich phases nucleation, growth and formation of an initial alloy layer; severe plastic deformation which increases the local temperature and produces a nano-structure; and fast outward diffusion of Fe and formation of Fe–Al intermetallics. This technique reduced the treatment temperature and duration significantly compared with the conventional Al pack cementation processes, providing a new approach to industrial diffusion coatings with great energy and time savings.