NiAl-AlN + Cr composites were produced by blending cryomilled NiAl powder w
ith approximately 10 vol% Cr flakes. In comparison to the as-consolidated m
atrices, hot isostatically pressed Cr-modified materials did not demonstrat
e any significant improvement in toughness. Hot extruded NiAl-AlN + 10.5Cr,
however, possessed a toughness twice that determined for the base NiAl-AlN
alloy. Measurement of the 1200 to 1400 K plastic flow properties revealed
that the strength of the composites was completely controlled by the proper
ties of the NiAl-AlN matrices. This behavior could be successfully modeled
by the Rule-of-Mixtures, where load is shed from the weak Cr to the strong
matrix.