The structure of rapidly solidified Al- Fe- Cr alloys

Four aluminum alloys, designed for use at elevated temperatures, were studied. The alloys were supersaturated with iron and chromium, and one of them contained small amounts of Ti, V, and Zr. The starting materials were alloy powders made by the RSR (Rapid Solidification Rate) centrifugal atomization process. Extrusion bars were made from the four powders. The as-extruded microstructure and the microstructure of the alloys after annealing at 482 °C were investigated by optical and transmission electron microscopy and by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure consists of equiaxed grains of aluminum matrix and two types of precipitates, namely, Al₃(Fe ,Cr) and a metastable phase, Al6(Fe,Cr). The precipitates were different in their shape, size, distribution, and location within the grains.