Premixes production for synthesis of wear-resistant composite materials

State of the art line of powder metallurgy is application of initial powders as micro-composites with additional components - premixes. Usage of premixes inhibits segregation of added components and implies the homogeneity of powder charge composition, and finally it has a significant impact on structure formation and properties of end products. The aim of the present work was to design the new production technology of premixes based on iron powder which is layer-by-layer plated by aluminium and copper. We propose to carry out production of Cu-Al-Fe premixes in two stages: cladding of iron powder by aluminium and coating of the obtained composite by copper. The self-developed technique of vibration treatment of iron and aluminium powder mixture was chosen for this purpose. The uniform in thickness and unbroken copper-plating of Fe-Al powders were carried out by chemical technique. Physico-chemical properties and production conditions of premixes-powders were studied, besides optimal parameters of production and further heat-treatment were selected. In the result of the present study the Fe-Al-Cu premixes with laminated structure comprising of iron core, Fe-Al and Cu-Al intermetallide shells were synthesised.