Microstructures and mechanical properties of bulk nanocrystalline Fe3Al materials with 5, 10 and 15 wt.% Cr prepared by aluminothermic reaction

Bulk nanocrystalline Fe₃Al based materials with 5, 10 and 15 wt.% Cr were prepared by aluminothermic reaction, in which melts were superheated about 1500 K before solidification. Microstructures of the materials were investigated by optical microscope, electron probe microscope, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. It was shown that microstructure of the materials consist of nanocrystalline matrix phase, which was composed of Fe, Al and Cr elements, and a small amount of contamination. The nanocrystalline phase was disordered bcc structure, and which did not change with Cr content. Average grain sizes of the nanocrystalline phase of the materials with 5, 10 and 15 wt.% Cr were 33, 21 and 37 nm, respectively. Compressive properties and hardness of the materials were tested. It indicated that the materials had a considerable plastic deformation and were not fractured in compression. Yield strength of the materials were about three times higher but hardness were a little lower than those of Fe₃Al material with coarsen grain. The hardness and yield strength of the materials varied slightly with Cr content and that of the material with 10 wt.% Cr was slightly lower. Average grain sizes of the materials decreased and texture changes appeared after the compression.