Ra. Varin et Gh. Li, MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF MG33-XSIXNI67 INTERMETALLIC COMPOSITE ALLOYS, Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials: properties, microstructure and processing, 193, 1995, pp. 59-68
The microstructure, microhardness, compressive strength and fracture t
oughness of the in situ intermetallic composite alloys in the Ni-rich
corner of the ternary Mg-Si-Ni system were studied. The compositions w
ere selected according to the formula Mg33-xSixNi67 (x = 0-33 at.%), i
.e. along the constant Ni line from MgNi2 to Ni2Si intermetallics. Aft
er casting and subsequent homogenization at 1000 degrees C for 100 h,
the ternary solid solution delta'-Ni-2(Si, Mg) is the primary (matrix)
phase in the x = 12, 17 and 19 at.% alloys. It is based on the delta-
Ni2Si intermetallic which can accommodate up to 22.1 +/- 0.6 at.% Mg.
Its Vickers microhardness (at 100 gf load) is 860 kgf mm(-2) vs. about
640 kgf mm(-2) for delta-Ni2Si, indicating a solid solution strengthe
ning effect by Mg. The compressive fracture stress of all the in situ
intermetallic composite alloys behaves according to the composite rule
of mixtures being dependent on both the volume fraction of the strong
er phase and its inherent strength (hardness). Chevron-notch beam (CNB
) fracture toughness increases with increasing volume fraction of mino
rity phases (microconstituents) such as Ni(Si), MgNi2 + Ni and Ni5Si2.
The highest CNB K-lc value recorded is 9.6 +/- 1.1 MPa m(1/2). The te
rnary solid solution (Mg, Si/Ni-2 based on the MgNi2, intermetallic se
ems to be detrimental to the fracture toughness.