The mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution during high temperature tensile deformation of recrystallizedNi3Al polycrystals doped with boron were investigated as functions of initial grain size, tensile strain rate and temperature. Inorder to obtain more precise information on the deformation mechanism, tensile specimens were rapidly quenched immediatelyafter deformation at a cooling rate of more than 2000Ks−1, and were then observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).Mechanical tests in the range of 923K to 1012K were carried out in a vacuum of less than 3×10−4 Pa using an Instron-typemachine with various but constant cross head speeds corresponding to the initial strain rates from 1.0×10−4 to 3.1×10−5s−1.After heating to deformation temperature, the specimen was kept for more than 1.8ks before testing. The following results wereobtained: (1) Flow behavior was affected by initial strain size; with decreasing initial grain size, the level of a stress peak inthe true stress-true strain curve decreased, the steady state region was enlarged and elongation increased. (2) On the basis ofTEM observation of rapidly quenched specimens, it was confirmed that dynamic recrystallization certainly occurred ondeformation of fine-grained (3.3µm) and intermediate-grained (5.0µm) specimens at an initial strain rate of 3.1×10−5s−1 andat 973K. (3) There were some dislocation-free grains among the new recrystallized grains. The obtained results suggest thatboth dynamic recrystallization and grain boundary sliding are operative during high temperature deformation.

This paper describes the fabrication of AlN thin films containing iron and iron nitride particles, and the magnetic and electrical properties of such films. Fe-N-Al alloy films were deposited in Ar and N2 mixtures at ambient temperature using Fe/Al composite targets in a two-facing-target DC sputtering system. X-ray diffraction results showed that the Fe-N-Al films were amorphous, and after annealing for 5 h both AlN and bcc-Fe/bct-FeNx phases appeared. Structure changes in the FeNx phases were explained in terms of occupied nitrogen atoms. Electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that iron and iron nitride particles were randomly dispersed in annealed AlN films. The grain size of magnetic particles ranged from 5 to 20 nm in diameter depending on annealing conditions. The saturation magnetization as a function of the annealing time for the Fe55N20Al25 films when annealed at 573, 773 and 873 K. At these temperatures, the amount of iron/iron nitride particles increased with increasing annealing time. An increase in the saturation magnetization is explained qualitatively in terms of the amount of such magnetic particles in the film. The resistivity increased monotonously with decreasing Fe content, being consistent with randomly dispersed iron/iron nitride particles in the AlN film. The coercive force was evaluated to be larger than 6.4×103Am-1 (80 Oe). This large value is ascribed to a residual stress restrained in the ferromagnetic particles, which is considered to be related to the present preparation process.

Creep tests were conducted under a condition of constant stress on two aluminum-based alloys containing particles: Al-5% Mg-0.25% Fe and Al-5% Zn-0.22% Fe. The role of grain boundary sliding was examined in the plane of the surface using a square grid printed on the surface by carbon deposition and perpendicular to the surface using two-beam interferometry. Estimates of the contribution of grain boundary sliding to the total strain, εgbs/εt reveal two trends; (i) the sliding contribution is consistently higher in the Al-Mg-Fe alloy, and (ii) the sliding contribution is essentially independent of strain in the Al-Mg-Fe alloy, but it shows a significant decrease with increasing strain in the Al-Zn-Fe alloy. Sliding is inhibited by the presence of particles and its contributions to the total strain are low. This inhibition is attributed to the interaction between the grain boundary dislocations responsible for sliding and particles in the boundaries.

The deposition behavior and structural and magnetic properties of electroless Co-B and Co-Fe-B deposits, as well as the amorphous ribbon substrates, were investigated. These Co-based alloy deposits exhibited characteristic polycrystalline structures and surface morphology and magnetic properties that were dependent on the type of amorphous substrates. The catalytic activity sequence of the amorphous ribbon electrodes for anodic oxidation of DMAB was estimated from the current density-potential curve in the anodic partial electrolytic bath that did not contain the metal ions. Both the deposition rate and potential in the initial region were obtained in order of the catalytic activity, depending on the alloy compositions of the substrates. The deposition rate linearly varied against the deposition time. The initial deposition potential may have also determined the structural and magnetic properties of the deposit based on the thickness of μm order. Furthermore, a basic study of the electroless deposition processes on an amorphous ribbon substrate has been carried out in connection with the structural and magnetic properties of the deposits.

The crystal structures and morphologies of precipitates in L10-ordered TiAl intermetallics containing nitrogen were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Under aging at an approximate temperature of 1073 K after quenching from 1423 K, TiAl hardens appreciably due to the nitride precipitation. TEM observations revealed that needle-like precipitates, which lie only in one direction parallel to the [001] axis of the L10-TiAl matrix, appear in the matrix preferentially at the dislocations. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern analyses showed that the needle-shaped precipitate is perovskite-type Ti3AlN (P-phase). The orientation relationship between the P-phase and the L10-TiAl matrix was found to be (001)p//(001)TiAl and [010]p//[010]TiAl. By aging at higher temperatures or for longer periods at 1073 K, plate-like precipitates of Ti2AlN (H-phase) with a hexagonal structure formed on the 111 planes of the L10-TiAl matrix. The orientation relationship between the Ti2AlN and the L10-TiAl matrix is (0001)H//(111)TiAl and H//TiAl.