FRACTURE BEHAVIOR OF FeAlSi INTERMETALLICS.

The study is devoted to the intermetallic alloy FeAl20Si20 (wt.%) with the potential applications in high temperature aggressive environments. The samples of the same chemical composition were prepared by spark plasma sintering from the different mechanically alloyed powders (pure elements and pre-alloyed powders). Differences in mechanical properties were characterized. Whereas no significant differences were found in hardness and Young's modulus, fracture resistance was higher for the samples from pre-alloyed powders in which Palmqvist and lateral cracks were observed (contrary to the sample made of pure elements where only Palmqvist cracks were identified). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]