Development of high strength, high ductility and high creep resistant iron aluminide

Iron aluminides have been examined over many years, especially since the 1960s with renewed attention since the 1980s. Several clear characteristics of these materials have been demonstrated, some good and some less attractive. Properties seen are those such as reasonable strength from room temperature to about 500 °C; acceptable but not good ductility at room temperature dependent in part on environmental sensitivity; poor creep and high temperature strength above 500 °C; excellent oxidation and corrosion resistance; cheap constituent elements but difficult thermomechanical forming. This article reviews advances in strengthening and improving ductility of FeAl over the last decade or so, concentrating especially on activities of the authorsʹ groups, and reviews also possibilities for exploiting the excellent oxidation/corrosion resistance at high temperatures by improving the high temperature creep behaviour.