The Effect of Excess Aluminum on the Composition and Microstructure of Nb-Al alloys Produced by Aluminothermic Reduction of Nb_2O_5

摘要

Intermetallic aluminides including those phases of the Nb-Al system are of interest for high-temperature structural applications. Through aluminothermic reduction (ATR) of Nb_2O_5 different alloys of the Nb-Al system can be produced by varying the amount of aluminum (excess aluminum) in the thermit charge. In this work, various Nb-Al alloys were produced by varying Nb_2O_5 and Al powder blends. The resulting alloys were characterized by chemical analysis (Al, O, and C), X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.