The Structure and Mechanical Properties of Plastically Consolidated Al-Ni Alloy

Mixed and preliminarily consolidated powders of aluminium and nickel (90 mass % Al and 10 mass % Ni) were hot extruded. As results the rod, 8 mm in diameter, was obtained. As-extruded material was subjected to the microstructural investigations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS) and X-ray analysis (XRD). The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA) were also performed. The mechanical properties of as extruded material were determined by the tensile test and Vickers hardness measurements. In order to evaluate the thermal stability of PM alloy, samples were annealed at the temperature of 475 and 550 °C. After annealing Vickers hardness measurements and tensile tests were carried out. The plastic consolidation of powders during extrusion was found to be very effective, because no pores or voids were observed in the examined material. The detailed microstructural investigations and XRD analyses did not reveal the presence of the intermetallic phases in the as-extruded material. During annealing, the Al3Ni intermetallic compound was formed as the result of chemical reaction between the alloy components. The hardness of the alloy after annealing at the temperature of 475°C was found to be comparable to the hardness in as-extruded state. Annealing of the material at the temperature of 550°C results in hardness decreasing by about 50%, as the consequence of porosity formation and Al3Ni cracking.