Tape casting as a fabrication process for iron aluminide (FeAl) thin sheets

The conversion of iron aluminide powder into a slurry followed by tape casting into a green sheet was investigated. Casting parameters affecting green sheet properties were studied. Application of thermo-mechanical processing including sintering, cold rolling, annealing and heat treating resulted in sheets with a fine-grain structure at essentially 100% of theoretical density. The various microstructures developed throughout the process are described, along with tensile property measurements on the fully dense product. Differences in property with sheets made by other processes are explained, and it is demonstrated that tape casting is a viable method of making thin gauge sheets of iron aluminide with a wide range of compositions.