Papers by Keyword: Aluminides

Abstract: The Ni-aluminides are integral constituents of thermal barrier coatings applied over Ni-based superalloys. These aluminides provide oxidation-resistance by forming a protective α–Al₂O₃ surface layer. The Pt-modified β–NiAl bond coat has been developed with an impetus to increase the service-life of Ni-based superalloys. The Pt-modified β–NiAl bond coat significantly improves the oxidation-resistance of superalloys. An interdiffusion zone containing topologically closed packed phases develops at the bond coat/superalloy interface. This eventually leads to Al-lean γ′–Ni₃Al transformation, whose oxidation resistance is inferior to that of β–NiAl. The Pt-group metals Ir and Ru delay this transformation and impart creep-resistance to the bond coat. Recent investigations demonstrate that alloying with transition metals such as Cr, Mo and Fe enhance the mechanical strength. The functional stability of bond coat-superalloy assembly counts on the interfacial reaction and associated local structural variations which is a function of bond coat composition. This chapter elucidates the effect of various alloying elements on phase constitutions, crystallographic structural stability and thermodynamics of Ni-and Fe-aluminides to engineer a prospective bond coat.

Abstract: Friction surfacing is a solid state process and it is amenable for deposition of aluminum on steel. In this investigation, the mild steel surface was coated with a layer of aluminum using friction surfacing route. The aluminum thickness was in the range of 40-50 μm. It was followed by a heat treatment step to convert aluminum layer in to an aluminide layer. Heat treatment was done in open atmosphere at 700 °C for 2 hours. Microstuctural analysis showed that the aluminide layer is mainly made of Fe₂Al₅ and Fe₄Al₁₃, FeAl and Fe₃Al are minor in fraction. Formation of Fe₂Al₅ is discussed. The aluminide layer also has some amount of porosities.

Abstract: Sintered compacts fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1050 ^оС were investigated. Titanium and aluminum powders in a ratio of 25 % (at.) and 75 % (at.) respectively were chosen as starting materials. Powder mixture heating up to elevated temperatures led to a partial loss of an aluminum component and to the formation of a multiphase structure consisting of Al₃Ti, Al₂Ti, AlTi and AlTi₃. The density of sintered powder mixtures was 3.7 g/cm³; an average microhardness value was about 470 HV.

Abstract: Laminate composites with an intermetallic component are some of the most prospective constructional and functional materials. The basic formation method of such materials consists in heating a stack composed of metallic plates reacting at elevated temperatures to form intermetallic phases. The temperature of the process is usually approximately equal to a melting point of a more easily fusible component. In this study, an alternative technology of producing a titanium – titanium aluminide composite with a laminate structure is suggested. It consists in combining metallic (titanium and aluminum) powder mixtures pre-sintered at 400 ^оС with titanium plates, alternate stacking of these components and subsequent spark plasma sintering (SPS) of the fabricated workpieces. Applying this technology allowed for the fabrication of metal-intermetallic laminate (MIL) materials with an inhomogeneous structure of intermetallic interlayers. The phases revealed in the composite by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) were α-Ti, Al, Al₃Ti and Al₂Ti. Moreover, the results of the energy-dispersive analysis gave the evidence of the formation of Ti-enriched phases in powder layers after SPS. A small number of voids were observed between the structural components of the intermetallic layers. Voids were also detected at “metal-intermetallic” interfaces; however, the quality of connection between different layers in the composite was very high. The microhardness of an intermetallic layer formed in the composite was comparable to the microhardness of the Al₃Ti compound. The microhardness of titanium was equal to 1600 MPa.

Abstract: The paper deals with the mechanism of eutectic formation in a nickel coated aluminium system after heat treatment. The initial coating was produced from a nickel powder by means of high velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spraying onto an aluminium sheet substrate. Specimens for investigations were manufactured immediately after the spraying. The specimens were heat-treated using a differential thermal analysis (DTA) apparatus up to the temperature of 700 or 900 °C and then cooled down to room temperature in argon atmosphere with a constant heating and cooling rate of 5 °C / min, under which Al-Al₃Ni + Al₃Ni hypereutectic alloys were formed within the initial substrate. Two different alloy microstructures consisting of intermetallic layers and coarse eutectic or an ultrafine well-dispersed eutectic were formed. Formation processes and resulting microstructures were studied by means of DTA, metallography, scanning electron microscopy, focused ion beam, energy dispersive microanalysis and image analysis techniques.

Abstract: Aluminides were formed on Ni-Cr-Fe based superalloy 690 substrates using pack aluminization process at 1273 K in controlled atmosphere. Thermal oxidation of aluminized specimens was carried out at 1273 K for a total period of 4 hours in air. The thermally grown oxide layer was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies on top surface and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis along the cross-section of the sample. The oxide layer developed on aluminized superalloy 690 substrate consisted of Al₂O₃ layer with a thickness of about 2 μm. The oxidized specimens were exposed in nitrate-based environment (simulated high-level nuclear liquid waste) at 373 K for a total period of 216 hours. A good adherence of aluminide coatings was noticed even after prolonged exposure in nitrate-based solution with a little amount of material dissolution from the edges of the specimens. XRD studies on exposed specimen indicated existence of Al₂O₃ layer on the top surface, which is believed to have resulted in good adherence of aluminide coatings.

Abstract: Research results focussed on the combined influence of iron and boron, in proportions of 0.5 and up to 10 wt.% respectively, in complex alloyed Ni3Al synthesised by Self Propagating High Temperature Synthesis (SHS) in the thermo-explosion mode at two ignition temperatures, 950 and 1150 oC, are presented. By XRD and Mössbauer spectroscopy it was established that for 950 oC ignition temperature, the evolved heat is not high enough for the added Fe to be fully incorporated into the synthesised Ni3Al phase, a temperature of 1150 oC being required. For this temperature, the density of the synthesised alloys, their capacity to be cold deformed by re-pressing, hardness and bending strength variations as a function of B and Fe contents, proved their cumulative effects of the ductility and mechanical properties of complex alloyed Ni3Al enhancing.

Abstract: The effect of the methods for preparing powder blend by conventional milling (Me+Al particles), attriting (Me/Al/ Me/Al composite particles), and plating of Me by Al (Me/Al composite particles) on the structure, internal stress level, and compactability of the powder blends as well as the structure and phase composition of the MeAl compacts was investigated. The Me+Al→MeAl exothermic reaction of these powders occurs at T≥650°C. The reaction sintering (RS) or hightemperature self-propagation synthesis (HTSPS) occurs through the formation of Al melt (liquidphase reaction) and lower-melting MeAl3, Me2Al3, Me3Al aluminides. An increase in the level of internal stresses (IS) upon attritting activates RS at lower temperatures and decreases the value of high-temperature exoeffect. This suppresses the HTSPS development. A large high-temperature exoeffect ensures the intensity and completeness of the reaction interaction, and the application of pressure upon RS or HTSPS provides a high, near-theoretical density of the compacted material.

Abstract: Technical Al-Si alloys always contain sufficient amounts of Fe and Mn, especially alloys made from scrap. During casting, Fe-containing intermetallics, such as Al-Fe, Al-Fe-Si and Al-Fe- Mn-Si phases, are formed between the aluminum dendrites. Fe and Mn-rich intermetallic phases are well known to be strongly influential on mechanical properties in Al-Si alloys. In the present work the influence of controlled fluid flow conditions on the morphology and spatial arrangement on intermetallic phases in cast Al-Si alloys is characterized. A binary Al-7wt.%Si and a ternary Al- 7wt.%Si-1wt.%Fe alloy was solidified under and without the influence of a rotating magnetic field (3mT at 50Hz) over a range of solidification velocities (0.015- 0.18mm/s) at a constant temperature gradient G of 3K/mm. The scientific results reached so far indicate a strong influence of the electromagnetic stirring on the primary dendrite and secondary dendrite arm spacings.

Abstract: In this work shake milling were used to mechanically activate Nb – Al powder mixtures at different relative proportions (Nb80Al, Nb65Al, Nb54Al e Nb42Al). All milling process parameters were unchanged, e.g., powders mass, ball/powder mass ratio, balls diameter, quantity and kind of process control agent. Uniaxially compacted cylindrical pellets of milled powders were vacuum reacted. After a two-step degassing treatment (290°C for 0.5 h and 400°C for 4 h), samples were heated at 30°C/min. Ignition and combustion temperatures were measured by a thermocouple inserted in a hole drilled into the pellets. The microstructure of milled powders and reacted pellets were characterized by X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis. Bulk density of the pellets was measured by water immersion (Archimedes). The results showed a decrease of both ignition and combustion temperature with mechanical activation as seen by comparison with reacted pellets of the same composition not mechanically activated (simple mixtures). By increasing the heating hate the completeness of the reactions were improved. The lower the aluminum contents the lower the ignition and combustion temperatures and also the densification. The decrease on ignition temperature was caused by a more effective dispersion (and so more activation) attained by samples with lower aluminum content.