Elastic constants of the C15 laves phase compound NbCr 2

Abstract

Elastic properties of a solid are important because they relate to various fundamental solid-state phenomena such as interatomic potentials, equations of state, and phonon spectra. Elastic properties are also linked thermodynamically with specific heat, thermal expansion, Debye temperature, and Gruneisen parameter. Most important, knowledge of elastic constants is essential for many practical applications related to the mechanical properties of a solid as well: load-deflection, thermoelastic stress, internal strain (residual stress), sound velocities, dislocation core structure, and fracture toughness. In order to understand better the physical properties and deformation behavior of the C15 compound NbCr{sub 2}, the authors have studied its elastic properties in this paper. In Section 2, the experimental methods are described, including the preparation of the sample and the measurement of the elastic constants. In Section 3, the experimental results are presented and the implications of these experimental results are discussed. Conclusions are drawn in Section 4.