The aim of this study was to prepare a low porosity bulk sample with a fine-grained structure from an AlZrTi alloy. Nanostructured powder particles were prepared by mechanical milling of gas atomized powder. The mechanically milled powder was consolidated using spark plasma sintering technology at 475 °C for 6 min using a pressure of 100 MPa. Sintering led to a low porosity sintered sample with a bimodal microstructure. The sintered sample was revealed to be composed of non-recrystallized grains with an approximate size of about 100 nm encompassed by distinct clusters of coarser, micrometer-sized grains. Whereas the larger grains were found to be lean on second phase particles, a high density of second phase particles was found in the areas of fine grains. The microhardness of the milled powder particles was established to be 163 ± 15 HV0.01, which decreased to a slightly lower value of 137 ± 25 HV0.01 after sintering.

Department of Metals and Corrosion Engineering University of Chemistry and Technology Prague Technická 5 16628 Prague 6 Czech Republic

Faculty of Mathematics and Physics Charles University Ke Karlovu 5 121 16 Prague 2 Czech Republic

Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Na Slovance 1999 2 18221 Prague 8 Czech Republic

Institute of Plasma Physics The Czech Academy of Sciences Za Slovankou 3 182 00 Prague 8 Czech Republic

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