Nanostructure and microhardness of Al86Ni11Yb3 nanocrystalline alloy

Nanocrystalline structure formation and properties of Al86Ni11Yb3 alloy wer e studied by DSC, X-ray diffraction, transmission and high resolution elect ron microscopy and microhardness measurements. The nanocrystalline structur e was produced by annealing of the amorphous alloy at 473 K for different t imes. It consists of Al nanocrystals dispersed in an amorphous matrix. The nanocrystal size is about 10 nm. The average grain size of the nanocrystals increases slightly with annealing time. The microhardness of the nanocryst alline structure is higher than that of the initial amorphous alloy The mic rohardness increases to 4 GPa during the annealing. The fine structure of t he nanocrystals and their mutual arrangement have been studied (C) 1999 Act a Metallurgica Inc.