The present investigation deals with the ball milling of Al–Mg, which results in the formation of metastable fcc solid solutions after 100 h that transform into more stable β-Al3Mg2 phase during subsequent annealing treatment. Powder metallurgy route was successfully employed to synthesize different weight fractions of low density β-Al3Mg2 dispersed Al matrix composites. Maximum hardness was achieved for 15 wt% β-Al3Mg2-dispersed Al composites. Compacted composites display lower hardness for higher percentage (20 wt%) of dispersing phase due to possible agglomeration. Nanomechanical properties as obtained from nanoindentation and nanoscratch measurements substantiate the results obtained from the microhardness measurements. Moreover, the significant hardening of the Al matrix was successfully achieved by incorporation of low density β-Al3Mg2 phase.
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