On the high temperature behavior of niobium aluminide intermetallics

This paper reports on a basic characterization of the mechanical and physical properties of a niobium aluminide intermetallic, NbAl3, that was undertaken. Four ingots of material were vacuum arc-melted, yielding a two phase microstructure in each case. Physical testing including coefficient of thermal expansion measurement was performed on the most promising ingot. Elastic modulus of this compound was measured in compression. Elevated temperature microindentation measurements have been performed to gain insight into the deformation behavior as a function of temperature. Microindentation measurements have also been used to study the time-dependent deformation of NbAl3