MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF FEAL

The B2 compound FeAl has attracted considerable attention in the past 20 years as a candidate material for structural applications both in h ostile environments and at intermediate temperatures. However, until l ately, the mechanical behaviour of FeAl was not well understood becaus e the effects of both vacancy retention following elevated temperature heat treatments and environmental embrittlement were not taken into a ccount. More recently, testing performed under conditions where these effects are controlled has taken place, allowing a more complete under standing of the compound's mechanical properties. The aim of the prese nt paper is to provide an overview of the mechanical behaviour of FeAl , with particular emphasis on recent studies, together with, where app ropriate, reinterpretation of older data, in light of our present unde rstanding.