Investigating enhanced mechanical properties in dual-phase Fe-Ga-Tb alloys

Dual-phase (Fe₈₃Ga₁₇)_100-xTb_x alloys with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 were synthesized by arc melting and homogenization treatment. The microstructures and the corresponding mechanical properties were systematically investigated. The chemical composition of the body centered cubic matrix is Fe₈₃Ga₁₇. The monoclinic second phase was composed of meltable precipitates with approximate composition Fe₅₇Ga₃₃Tb₁₀. The nano-hardness of matrix and precipitates were 2.55 ± 0.17 GPa and 6.81 ± 1.03 GPa, respectively. Both the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and fracture strain (ε) of the alloys were improved by the precipitates for x ≤ 0.2 alloys, but the strain decreases significantly at higher values of x. As potential structural-functional materials, the best mechanical properties obtained were a UTS of 595 ± 10 MPa and an ε of 3.5 ± 0.1%, four-fold and seven-fold improvements compared with the un-doped alloy. The mechanism for these anomalous changes of mechanical properties was attributed to the dispersed precipitates and semi-coherent interfaces, which serve as strong obstacles to dislocation motion and reduce the stress concentration at the grain boundaries. A sizeable improvement of magnetostriction induced by the precipitates in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2 was discovered and an optimal value of 150 ± 5 ppm is found, over three times higher than that of the un-doped alloy.