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Title: X-ray powder diffraction and Moessbauer study of nanocrystalline Fe-Al prepared by mechanical alloying

Journal Article · · Acta Materialia
; ;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3];
  1. Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia, Venezia (Italy). Dept. di Chimica Fisica
  2. Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia, Padova (Italy). Dept. di Ingegneria Meccanica
  3. Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia, Bologna (Italy). Dept. di Fisica

Iron-aluminium alloys of composition Fe{sub 50}Al{sub 50} and Fe{sub 75}Al{sub 25} were produced by mechanical alloying (MA) of the pure elemental powders. A structural refinement of X-ray powder data on the mechanically alloyed products according to the Rietveld method has detailed the progressive dissolution of aluminium into the lattice of {alpha}-iron as a function of MA time. With respect to pure iron, a volume expansion of {approx}3% is measured in both compositions mechanically alloyed for 32 h. In the iron and aluminium phases, the Debye-Waller static disorder increases as a function of MA time and the intrinsic shape of the peak profiles becomes predominantly Cauchy. These changes are accompanied by an increase in the average microstrain and by a reduction in the average crystallite size (which includes also the effect of dislocations). The Moessbauer spectra show that in the equiatomic case the initial sharp magnetic sextet of {alpha}-iron is progressively reduced and is replaced by a doublet, while for the Fe{sub 75}Al{sub 25} composition a broad magnetic sextet is eventually obtained. Thermal scans at 600 C of the specimens mechanically alloyed for 2, 4 and 8 h precipitate essentially the Al{sub 5}Fe{sub 2} phase. In the case of the Fe{sub 50}Al{sub 50} specimens, annealing of the powders mechanically alloyed for 16 and 32 h precipitates mainly the partially ordered FeAl intermetallic compound, while no ordering is obtained in the Fe{sub 75}Al{sub 25} case.

OSTI ID:
367319
Journal Information:
Acta Materialia, Vol. 44, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English