Structural Characterization and Ordering Transformation of Mechanically Alloyed Nanocrystalline Fe-28Al Powder

The synthesis of nanocrystalline Fe3Al powder by mechanical alloying as well as the structural ordering of the synthesized Fe3Al particles during the subsequent thermal analysis were investigated. Mechanical alloying was performed up to 100 hours using a planetary ball mill apparatus with rotational speed of 300 rpm under argon atmosphere at ambient temperature. The synthesized powders were characterized using X-ray diffraction, SEM observations and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the A2-type Fe3Al with disordered bcc structure is only formed after 70 hours milling. The corresponding lattice strain, mean crystallite and particle sizes for the 70 hours milled Fe3Al powder were determined as 2.5%, 10 and 500 nm, respectively. The subsequent heating during DSC causes a DO3-type Fe3Al ordering in 70 and 100 hours milled powders, however in 40 hours milled powder it only assists for the formation of disordered solid solution. Longer milling time induces a large amount of lattice strain in Fe3Al powder particles and consequently facilitates the atomic diffusion thus decreases the activation energy of ordering. The activation energy for ordering transformation of 100 hours Fe3Al milled powder was calculated as 152.1 kJ/mole which is about 4 kJ/mole lower than that for 70 hours milled powder.