ORDERED INTERMETALLIC ALLOYS .1. NICKEL AND IRON ALUMINIDES

This article summarizes recent progress in research and development on nickel and iron aluminide intermetallic alloys. Ordered intermetallics possess attractive properties for structural applications at elevated temperatures in hostile environments; however, brittle failure and poor fracture resistance limit their use as engineering materials. In recent years, efforts to understand this brittle fracture behavior have identified both intrinsic and extrinsic factors governing brittle fracture. Parallel work on alloy design using physical metallurgy principles has led to the development of aluminide alloys with improved mechanical and metallurgical properties for structural use.