Al-Fe-Ce alloys based on water-atomized powders for high-temperature applications

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Fe-Ce alloys based on water-atomized powders between 20 and 300 °C are examined in comparison with the properties of similar alloys produced by other rapid crystallization techniques. Changes in atomization parameters vary both the cooling rate (from 104 to 106 K/sec) and powder size distribution (from 5 to 100 µm). The excellent compactability of water-atomized powders facilitates powder consolidation, which is based on hot extrusion and cold pressing of degassed powders. The mechanical properties are examined by tensile tests. The ultimate tensile strength is 500 to 550 MPa at 20 °C and 270 to 300 MPa at 300 °C at adequate plasticity. The properties achieved are comparable with those of similar alloys known from the literature.