Structure investigations of the ground FeAl(Cr)-Cr<SUB align=right>3C<SUB align=right>2-Cr7C<SUB align=right>3-TiC composite powder prepared through the SHS process

Abstract

The studied composite powder of high corrosion resistance was prepared using the Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS) process. The as-prepared material was crushed and was subjected to a milling process by high-energy attritory mill for two and ten hours. The powder morphology was analysed through the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) method. The structure investigations were performed using the SEM and XRD methods. The presence of Cr7C3, FeCr and FeO phases, besides the most desired FeAl(Cr), Cr3C2 and TiC ones, was noted. It was found that the FeAl(Cr) phase is of the ordered B2-type structure and the ordering degree diminishes with the increase of milling time. The crystallite size of this phase, both in the as-prepared state and after the milling process, is in the nanoscale. The crystallite size of the FeO phase diminishes to 75 nm in the sample ground for 10 h, whereas those of the other phases are above 100 nm for the as-prepared and ground samples.