Effect of Hot Pressing on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Bulk Nanocrystalline Fe3Al Materials Containing Manganese Element

Bulk nanocrystalline Fe3Al materials containing manganese of 10% were prepared by aluminothermic reaction. Hot pressing of those materials was performed at different temperatures and times. The microstructures of the alloy were investigated by optical microscope (OM) and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The grain sizes of the materials were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed that the grain sizes of the materials increase after hot pressing. The grain sizes of the materials decrease with increasing the hot pressing times at the same temperature and the grain sizes of the materials increase with increasing hot pressing temperatures at identical times. The hardness and compressibility of the materials were also tested. The results showed that the hardness decreases with increasing hot pressing times at 800 degrees C and hardness increases with increasing the hot pressing temperatures. The variation of hardness with grain size of the nanocrystalline Fe3Al materials after hot pressing is contrary to the Hall-Fetch relation. The materials are not broken during hot pressing and exhibit good plasticity and compressibility.