Iron aluminides have been among the most studied intermetallics since the 1930s, when their excellent oxidation resistance was first noticed. Their low cost of production, low density, high strength-to-weight ratios, good wear resistance, ease of fabrication and resistance to high temperature oxidation and sulfurization make them very attractive as a substitute for routine stainless steel in industrial applications. Furthermore, iron aluminides allow for the conservation of less accessible and expensive elements such as nickel and molybdenum. These advantages have led to the consideration of many applications, such as brake disks for windmills and trucks, filtration systems in refineries and fossil power plants, transfer rolls for hot-rolled steel strips, and ethylene crackers and air deflectors for burning high-sulfur coal. A wide application for iron aluminides in industry strictly depends on the fundamental understanding of the influence of (i) alloy composition; (ii) microstructure; and (iii) number (type) of defects on the thermo-mechanical properties. Additionally, environmental degradation of the alloys, consisting of hydrogen embrittlement, anodic or cathodic dissolution, localized corrosion and oxidation resistance, in different environments should be well known. Recently, some progress in the development of new micro- and nano-mechanical testing methods in addition to the fabrication techniques of micro- and nano-scaled samples has enabled scientists to resolve more clearly the effects of alloying elements, environmental items and crystal structure on the deformation behavior of alloys. In this paper, we will review the extensive work which has been done during the last decades to address each of the points mentioned above.

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A Review on the Properties of Iron Aluminide Intermetallics

Deformation Behaviour and Oxidation Resistance of Single-Phase and Two-Phase L21 Fe–Al–Ti Alloys

Superdislocations and antiphase boundary energies in deformed Fe3Al single crystals with chromium

This paper reviews recent investigations of the kinetic aspects of moisture induced environmental embrittlement of intermetallic alloys. The main kinetic steps of the embrittlement include surface adsorption, oxidation to form atomic hydrogen, diffusion of dissolved hydrogen [H] from surface to bulk, and hydrogen induced embrittlement. The first part of the paper reviews the chemical aspects of surface adsorption and oxidation reactions using thermodynamic approaches and kinetic equations. The second part of the paper reviews the aspects of hydrogen diffusion in fcc and bcc related ordered structures and the hydrogen concentration profile at room temperature. Then, three possible cases (diffusion rate limited, adsorption reaction rate limited, and mixed rate limited) and their related kinetic equations are discussed. The influence of certain important kinetic factors on the hydrogen concentration profile is also considered. The beneficial effect of B additions on environmental embrittlement is ill...

Moisture induced environmental embrittlement of intermetallics

Cu–Cr alloys have been widely used in industrial applications owing to their good combination of mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. However, the comprehensive performance of the alloy needs to be further improved to meet the harsh working environment. Hence, in this study, a new type of Cu–Cr alloy with Co and Si additions together with cryogenic rolling (CR) was designed and investigated. Microstructure analysis confirms that the Cr15Co9Si6 and Co2Si phases are formed with Co and Si additions into the Cu–Cr alloy. For the more, partial Cr15Co9Si6 phase decomposes during heat treatment process, and the Co2Si and Cr precipitates are precipitated from matrix during aging process. The improvement of tensile properties of the Cu–1Cr–1Co–0.6Si alloy is mainly attributed to the precipitation strengthening and grain boundary strengthening, and is also benefited from dislocation density strengthening, twin boundary strengthening, and solid solution strengthening. The electrical conductivity of the Cu–1Cr–1Co–0.6Si alloy decreases dramatically mainly due to the increase of impurity scattering caused by surplus Si atoms. CR deformation is helpful for more solute atoms precipitated from the supersaturated solid solution during aging process, and thus the electrical conductivity of the Cu–1Cr–1Co–0.6Si alloy increases with increasing deformation amount. After homogenizing treatment at 900 °C for 2 h, hot rolling by 60% at 900 °C, solution treating at 990 °C for 4 h, cold rolling by 90%, and aging at 440 °C for 1 h, the hardness, yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and electrical conductivity of the Cu–1Cr–1Co–0.6Si alloy are 214.6 HV, 663.7 MPa, 745.9 MPa and 41.6%IACS, respectively, which exhibit good mechanical properties with a proper electrical conductivity. These results provide a feasible route for developing high performance Cu–Cr alloys.

Effects of Co and Si additions and cryogenic rolling on structure and properties of Cu–Cr alloys

Samples of Fe28%Al and Fe28%Al4% Cr were recrystallized, and heat treated at 500°C to obtain B2 and DO3 ordering. While the material containing Cr was well ordered, and other material showed a two-phase ordered plus disordered microstructure with the degree of ordering, the domain size and the fraction of disordered phase depending sensitively on the experimental conditions. The material containing Cr was relatively soft, showed low work hardening and was fairly ductile: these properties are obtained by the ready movement of superdislocations. The other material was stronger and generally less ductile: these properties depended on whether single dislocationswere present leaving APB trails and leading to low work hardening rates, or whether looseky-coupled superdislocations moved through a two-phase microstructure at a lower stress and with higher work hardening rates. This study emphasizes the need for complete microstructural characterization in order to understand the mechanical behaviour of such materials.

The influence of Cr addition on the ordered microstructure and deformation and fracture behaviour of a Fe28%Al intermetallic

Examination of some high-strength, high-conductivity copper alloys for high-temperature applications

It has previously been shown that the addition of Cr to the Fe 3 Al alloy can lead to improvements in ductility. Initial interpretations of this effect were based on changes in the fault energies and dislocation configurations, but recently the influence of environmental attack has been invoked. In the present study the role of Cr and other elemental additions on the state of order, dislocation dissociations and configurations, and on ductility has been examined under conditions where environmental attack should not be important. The addition of Cr is shown to have only a minor affect on ordering kinetics, fault energies and dislocation configurations. However, for the alloys generally considered, containing 28% Al, it is shown that the ordered state and microstructure depends sensitively on the precise composition and heat treatments given. In particular, small amounts of solute elements such as B can lead to the appearance of two-phase ordered-disordered microstructures over a wide temperature range, to the appearance of imperfect long range and short range order, and to major changes in the kinetics of ordering and disordering. The mechanical properties achieved are shown to depend critically on the extent and distribution of disorder (the long range order parameter, the extent of short range order, the presence and distribution of thick disordered domain walls) and this factor may explain much of the variability in properties reported between similar alloys. By way of example, the presence of short range order will confine dislocations to well-defined shear planes, concentrating shear and inducing early failure; disordered domain walls will dissociate superdislocations thereby spreading shear homogeneously; the ordered domains/disordered walls morphology will lead to particle-dispersion hardening

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The influence of chromium additions on order and ductility in Fe3Al intermetallic

The development of Fe 3 Al aluminides has been restricted in the past by poor ductility at ambient temperatures, and it is only recently that possible solutions to this problem have been found. It was shown a few years ago (1) that the addition of 2-6% Cr to a Fe 3 Al base alloy led to good ductility and this improvement was explained by a reduction of the APB energy, increasing the separation of the superpartial dislocations and thereby allowing easier dissociation of these dislocations, easier cross slip and a reduced tendency to stress and strain concentrations. However, at a later stage, an alternative explanation was proposed (2,3) based on examinations of both FeAl and Fe 3 Al alloys under different environments, and the ductility change was explained in terms of chemical attack at the tip of a crack leading to local hydrogen embrittlement. The present study re-examines the behaviour of a Fe 3 Al alloy both with and without the addition of Cr. Strength, work hardening behaviour and failure ductility are examined under conditions where environmental effects should not be important, and the mechanical behaviour is interpreted in terms of significant variations in the type of order, the ordered domain structure and the resulting dislocation structures. It is seen that the addition of Cr can lead to a better ordered material and the differences in ordered state between the two materials can significantly affect dislocation behaviour and mechanical properties.

M.M. Dadras

Papers

The influence of Cr addition on the ordered microstructure and deformation and fracture behaviour of a Fe28%Al intermetallic

Examination of some high-strength, high-conductivity copper alloys for high-temperature applications

The influence of chromium additions on order and ductility in Fe3Al intermetallic

Strength and Ductility of Fe3Al with Addition of Cr