Comparison of equivalent ball milling processes on Fe70Zr30 and Fe70Nb30

► Equivalent milling conditions are produced. ► Expected microstructures are predicted. ► Temperature inside the vial follows a cubic law with the rotational frequency of the mill. ► Deviations from expected results are ascribed to differences in temperature during milling. Dynamical analysis of the movement of a single ball in a planetary ball mill yields a cubic law with the frequency of the mill for the power released during the process. This fact has been explored for two binary compositions (Fe70Zr30 and Fe70Nb30) using two different milling frequencies. The experimental techniques used, in general, support the predictions of the equivalent milling time model. However, some deviations appear which could be ascribed to differences in the temperature inside the vial during milling.