The Influence of Niobium Additions on Creep Resistance of Fe-27 at. % Al Alloys

Results of creep tests of two Fe-27 at. % Al-based alloys with additions of 2.7 and 4.8 at. % of niobium conducted in the temperature range from 650 degrees C to 900 degrees C in the authors' laboratory are presented. The purpose of the study is to supplement previous work on Fe-Al-Nb alloys to obtain a more complete overview of creep properties from the dilute alloy with 1% of Nb up to the eutectic alloy with 10% of niobium. At higher temperatures and lower stresses, the creep resistance of the 10% niobium alloy is better than that of the lower niobium alloys. On the other hand, the eutectic alloy loses its preference at lower temperatures and higher deformation rates. This phenomenon is similar to that reported by Yildirim et al. for Fe-50 at. % Al-based alloys and is probably associated with an increased stress sensitivity of the eutectic alloy.