Mechanical properties of vanadium beryllide,VBe12

The mechanical properties of VBe₁₂, both at room and elevated temperatures (up to 1200°C), have been measured. Room-temperature properties, including Young's modulus, flexural strength, and fracture toughness are reported. The material behaved elastically at room temperature but became plastic at temperatures above 1000°C. Creep properties of VBe₁₂ were also studied in temperature ranges from 1000–1200°C and applied stress ranges from 33–58 MPa. At low strain rates (approximately < 10^–5s^–1), the stress exponent was about 4, suggesting deformation was controlled by dislocation climb. Microstructural examination indicated that fracture was initiated from grain boundaries subjected to tensile stresses. The creep behaviour of VBe₁₂ is briefly compared with that of other intermetallics.