Introduction to the viewpoint set on: Mechanical alloying

Mechanical Alloying (MA), a high-energy ball milling technique used to prepare alloy powders with unique microstructures was developed by the International Nickel Company (INCO). This technique starts with a mixture of powders blended together in a ball mill. MA is differentiated from conventional blending in rotary mills by the kinetic energy of the colliding balls inside the mill. This paper is an introduction to a series of papers that focuses on the MA technique. In addition to describing the process, the paper discusses the various application of the technique as well as its significance.