Spark plasma sintering of gas atomized Al87Ni8La 5 amorphous powder

Abstract

Bulk samples were prepared by in-situ devitrification and consolidation of gas atomized Al87Ni8La5 amorphous powder. Consolidation was carried out at different temperatures by spark plasma sintering, which leads to highly dense bulk specimens with a microstructure consisting of fcc aluminum together with Al11La3 and Al3Ni intermetallic compounds. The consolidated powder displays a remarkably high compression stress, which depends on the sintering temperature and ranges between 900 and 1000 MPa, combined with plastic strain varying between 10 and 20 %. These results indicate that the mechanical properties of the samples can be tuned within a wide range of strength and ductility as a function of the sintering temperature used. © 2009 IOP Publishing Ltd.