316L-W (Tungsten) composite materials were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) of mechanically alloyed 316L-W powders for the development of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The effect of milling parameters on the morphology of the blended 316L/W powders and its subsequent effect on the transition between 316L and W particles during the SPS process were investigated. Samples were characterized by SEM, EDS and XRD analyses. The results so obtained show that with the increase of milling time, the mechanically activated W powder particles become thinner and smoother, with some broken fragments aggregated or inserted in the severely deformed 316L particles. A further SPS process under the conditions of 1050 degrees C x 45.5 MPa x 5 min leads to the densification of the powder compact and the formation of a distinguishable gray belt surrounding the retained W particles. Such a belt, which has a width of about 2-8 mu m depending on different milling parameters and mainly contains Fe7W6, Fe3W3C and Fe2W phases, is bound to be a transitional region between the retained W particles and the 316L matrix. This favorable behavior with regards to the formation of a transitional belt, is accompanied by a substantial increase in the hardness values of the composite. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.