Predeformation and Subsequent Annealing—A Way for Controlling Morphology of Carbides in Large Dimensional Bulk Nanocrystalline Fe-Al-Cr Alloy
In this study, a processing route is introduced to control the morphology of carbide and the grain size of nanocrystalline matrix of Fe-Al-Cr alloy. After predeformation followed by annealing treatment, the grain size of nanocrystalline matrix decreased slightly and the Cr7C3 phases transformed from a fiber shape to the globular shape. The yield strength and the flow stress of the alloy increased from 1048 to 1338 MPa and 1150 to 1550 MPa, respectively, while the ductility of the alloy also became better. This proposed method may open a way for controlling the morphology of carbide and the grain size of matrix in bulk nanocrystalline materials to receive higher strength and better plasticity.