Influence of powder particle size on the mechanical properties of two rapidly solidified Al-Fe-Ce alloys. Part 2: Mechanical properties

Two rapidly solidified powders with compositions Al-6.7 wt.% Fe-5.9 wt.% Ce and Al-6.2 wt.% Fe-5.9 wt.% Ce-1.63 wt.% Si were separated into -32 μm and +32 to -63 μm size fractions. Powders from both size fractions were extruded at 500 °C. For comparison purposes, extrusion at a lower temperature of 400 °C was also performed. In this investigation, tensile property evaluation indicated that processing of finer size fractions at high temperature offers no advantages in terms of the tensile properties but is advantageous in terms of improving the fracture toughness of alloy B. These observations underline the importance of the stability of powder microstructure during thermomechanical processing for the development of optimum mechanical properties.