R e s e a r c h Projects

Stability, Structural Transformations, and Properties of Laves Phases in the Ternary Model Systems Nb‑TM-Al
(TM = Cr, Fe, Co)
D. Raabe, F. Stein, M. Palm, G. Frommeyer, and O. Prymak

The project at the MPIE includes a detailed investigation of the Laves phases in the ternary model systems Nb-Cr-Al, Nb-Fe-Al, and Nb-Co-Al. The phase relations, phase transformations, and stability and homogeneity ranges of the Laves phases in these systems will be established and the mechanical behaviour as a function of composition and crystallographic structure type of the Laves phase will be studied. The aim is a more fundamental understanding of the factors controlling the stability of Laves phases and of the details of the structural transformations between the different polytypes. By achieving a better understanding of the stability and changes in the polytypes of the Laves phases and the resulting effect on the mechanical behaviour, new structural materials for applications at very high temperatures can be designed which make use of the advantageous physical properties of the Laves phases.

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