Bulk nanocrystalline Al85Ni10La5 alloy fabricated by spark plasma sintering of atomized amorphous powders

Amorphous Al85Ni10La5 powders were consolidated to cylindrical samples by spark plasma sintering (SPS), and their microstructures and mechanical properties were investigated. When the powders were consolidated below the crystallization temperature, an amorphous phase was retained in the consolidated sample. Sintering above the crystallization temperature caused full crystallization. The Vickers hardness of the amorphous-containing sample was about 350 HV in the as-sintered state and increased up to 450 HV by a subsequent heat treatment just below the crystallization temperature. The highest hardness was achieved in a nanocrystalline microstructure. Compression tests revealed the brittle nature of the consolidated samples although the fracture and yield strength was higher than 1 GPa. The brittleness is due to the low relative density of the amorphous-containing samples and the presence of a large amount of intermetallic compounds in the fully crystallized sample.