High temperature microstructure and microhardness evolution in dense NiCrAlY bulk material fabricated by spark plasma sintering

▶ Bulk NiCrAlY samples were fabricated at 1000 °C by SPS. ▶ By means of HR-TEM, the α-Cr phase was identified as the cubic Cr(Ni)x (x < 0.05). ▶ Microhardness test was applied to analyze the evolution of average and localized phase-specific microhardness.▶ In some heat-treatment conditions, the samples were strengthened by α-Cr phase with-in NiAl grains.