Considerable work has been performed on NiAl over the last three decades, with an extremely rapid growth in research on this intermetallic occurring in the last few years due to recent interest in this material for electronic and high temperature structural applications. However, many physical properties and the controlling fracture and deformation mechanisms over certain temperature regimes are still in question. Part of this problem lies in the incomplete characterization of many of the alloys previously investigated. Fragmentary data on processing conditions, chemistry, microstructure and the apparent difficulty in accurately measuring composition has made direct comparison between individual studies sometimes tenuous. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize all available mechanical and pertinent physical properties on NiAl, stressing the most recent investigations, in an attempt to understand the behavior of NiAl and its alloys over a broad temperature range.

Physical and mechanical properties of the B2 compound NiAl

Temperature dependent deformation of the B2 austenite phase of a NiTi shape memory alloy

Recent advances in ordered intermetallics

Site preference of transition-metal elements in B2 NiAl: A comprehensive study

Microstructure, interface and mechanical property of the DS NiAl/Cr(Mo,Hf) composite

Tensile testing of cast and extruded binary NiAl was performed from 300 to 900 K at strain rates of 1.4 × 10−4 to 1.4 × 10−1 × s−1. The brittle-to-ductile transition temperature (BDTT) was dependent on strain rate, with a three order of magnitude increase in strain rate resulting in approximately a 200 K increase in transition temperature. Regardless of strain rate, at temperatures just above the BDTT the fracture strength increased significantly and the fracture morphology changed from mostly intergranular to predominantly transgranular. It was also determined that the mechanism responsible for the brittle-to-ductile transition in NiAl had an apparent activation energy of approximately 118 kJ/mol. These results support the argument that the mechanism for the brittle-to-ductile transition in NiAl is associated with the onset of a thermally activated deformation process. This process is probably dislocation climb controlled by short circuit diffusion.

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The effect of strain rate and temperature on the tensile properties of NiAl

NiAl has only three independent slip systems operating at low and intermediate temperatures whereas five independent deformation mechanisms are required to satisfy the von Mises criterion for general plasticity in polycrystalline materials. Yet, it is generally recognized that polycrystalline NiAl can be deformed extensively in compression at room temperature and that limited tensile ductility can be obtained in extruded materials. In order to determine whether these results are in conflict with the von Mises criterion, tension and compression tests were conducted on powder-extruded, binary NiAl between 300 and 1300 K. The results indicate that below the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature (BDTT) the failure mechanism in NiAl involves the initiation and propagation of cracks at the grain boundaries which is consistent with the von Mises analysis. Furthermore, evaluation of the flow behavior of NiAl indicates that the transition from brittle to ductile behavior with increasing temperature coincides with the onset of recovery mechanisms such as dislocation climb. The increase in ductility above the BDTT is therefore attributed to the climb of the 001 line type dislocations which in combination with dislocation glide enable grain boundary compatibility to be maintained at the higher temperatures.

C. L. Cullers

Papers

The effect of strain rate and temperature on the tensile properties of NiAl

Flow and Fracture Behavior of NiAl in Relation to the Brittle-Toductile Transition Temperature