J Mater Sci Technol ›› 2009, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (01): 48-52.

• Letters • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Crystallization and Hardness of Melt Spun Fe73Si13B9Nb4Cu1 Alloy

J.I. Akhter1)†, M. Iqbal1;2), M. Siddique1), M. Ahmad1), M.A. Haq1), M.A. Shaikh3) , Z.Q. Hu2)   

  1. 1) Physics Division, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, P. O. Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
    2) Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of
    Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
    3) Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences,
    P.O. Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan
  • Received:2008-03-03 Revised:2008-03-12 Online:2009-01-28 Published:2009-10-10
  • Contact: J.I. Akhter

Abstract:

An alloy having composition Fe73Si13B9Nb4Cu1 was synthesized by melt spinning to investigate the kinetics of crystallization. Techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Mössbauer spectroscopy were employed to characterize the phases produced due to annealing at various temperatures. High temperature DSC revealed two stage crystallization reactions. First stage, crystallization occurs at temperature around 514°C with the production of α-Fe (bcc) and Fe3Si phases. In the second stage, Fe2B and α-Fe (Si,Nb) phases were produced. Mössbauer results revealed the formation of Fe3Si, Fe13Si3 and Fe7Si1 in the first stage and Fe3Si, Fe13Si3, Fe2B and α-Fe (Si,Nb) phases in the second stage of crystallization. An abrupt change in average internal magnetic field was observed at 500°C. The maximum hardness value was found for the sample heat-treated at 500°C.

Key words: Amorphous alloy, Crystallization, Mössbauer spectroscopy, Hardness