Structure and phase transformations in Fe-Ni-Mn alloys nanostructured by mechanical alloying

Ternary Fe(86)Ni(x)Mn(14-x) alloys, where x = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 at.%, were prepared by the mechanical alloying (MA) of elemental powders in a high-energy planetary ball mill. X-ray diffraction analysis and Mossbauer spectroscopy were used to investigate the structure and phase composition of samples. Thermo-magnetic measurements were used to study the phase transformation temperatures. The MA results in the formation of bcc alpha-Fe and fcc gamma-Fe based solid solutions, the hcp phase was not observed after MA. As-milled alloys were annealed with further cooling to ambient or liquid nitrogen temperatures. A significant decrease in martensitic points for the MA alloys was observed that was attributed to the nanocrystalline structure formation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.