Structure and mechanical properties of Fe-Ni-Zr oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys

A series of bulk nanostructured Fe-Ni-Zr oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys were synthesized using high energy mechanical alloying and consolidated using high temperature equal channel angular extrusion. The resultant microstructures are composed of nano/ultrafine or micrometer-sized grains with larger intermetallic precipitates and small Zr oxide clusters (<10 nm diameter, measured and confirmed by atom probe tomography). The ODS alloys possess elevated compression properties, e.g., 1.2 and 2.4 GPa compressive yield stress at room temperature for samples consolidated at 700 °C and 1000 °C, respectively. This work highlights the relationship between processing, microstructure, and properties for this class of ferritic ODS alloys.