Structural and microstructural study of Fe-31Cr-12Co mixture prepared by ball milling

Nanostructured Fe-31Cr-12Co mixture was prepared by high energy ball milling (BM) of elemental Fe, Cr and Co powders. The obtained powders were characterized by X-rays diffraction (XRD) using Rietveld's method. The BM leads to the allotropic transformation of Co from FCC to HCP form during the first hour of milling and the formation of a disordered Fe(Cr, Co) solid solution (SS) with BCC structure after 12 h of milling. The microstructural analysis using the profile fitting shows the nanostructured character of the obtained powders. The diffraction line broadening of the SS is Miller indices dependent and is a consequence of anisotropy in size and strains