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What are mechanically mixed alloys?
When we talk about "alloys," many people imagine various metals fused together to form a material with completely new properties.
However, not all alloys are "completely fused." Some alloys have components that are virtually insoluble in each other and chemically inert in their solid state. These are called mechanically mixed alloys.
Simply put, when melted, the elements can diffuse and mix slightly, but once cooled and solidified, they return to separate crystal particles, merely "physically mixed."
Thus, these alloys are more like a "mixture of metal powders" than a "truly fused new metal."
Structural Characteristics
Mechanically mixed alloys consist of crystal particles of different elements, and the individual crystals have little effect on each other. For example, a crystal of metal A retains its original properties, and so do crystals of metal B.
Determinants of Properties
The overall properties of a alloy depend primarily on:
The proportions of the components in the alloy; the element with the highest content has the greatest impact on the alloy's properties.
For example, copper and lead (Cu-Pb) are almost completely immiscible in their solid state.
By melting them and then cooling them, you get a typical "mechanical mixing" alloy - it looks homogeneous, but in fact, copper crystals and lead crystals "exist side by side" inside.
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