Structural studies on metallic powders from Fe-Al and Fe-Al-X (Cu, Ni) systems obtained by selfidecomposition method

The metallic powders of ordered, intermetallic phases with the 132 type structure are the subjects of extensive basic and structural research due to their interesting physical and chemical properties. The B2-type Fe-Al intermetallic powder is one of the candidate materials for high-temperature applications, due to its relatively high strength and low cost. The major difficulty in practical fabrication is its poor ductility at ambient temperature. The improvement of their plastic properties and their mechanical strength is achieved by alloying additions. The metallic powders were obtained by the method of selfdecomposition of alloys with a high content of aluminium and enriched in carbon, in the conditions of high humidity. In the present work the results of structure studies of the Fe-Al and Fe-AI-X (Cu, Ni) metallic powders are shown. The composition of the investigated materials was determined by classical, chemical analysis. The X-ray diffraction was applied to identify the phase composition of studied materials. As-prepared Fe-Al powder contains only FeAl phase. In Fe-Al-Ni powder Fe(Ni)AI and Ni(Fe)AI phases were found. The Fe-Al-Cu powder beside Fe(Cu)AI phase contains also Al4Cu9 one.