Characterization of cast Al86Mn3Be11 alloy

An Al86Mn3Be11 alloy cast into copper mould was subjected to metallographic investigation. The as-cast microstructure consisted of a quasicrystalline icosahedral phase (i-phase), Be4AlMn phase and, occasionally, a hexagonal phase. Al-rich solid solution represented the dominant phase. The chemical compositions of phases were determined using AES. The composition of the Be4AlMn slightly deviated from the stoichiometric composition, whereas the composition of the i-phase was approximately Al52Mn18Be30, containing an appreciable amount of Be. The average composition of the hexagonal phase was Al66Mn21Be13. Deep etching and particle extraction provided a deep insight into the three-dimensional morphology of the i-phase and the hexagonal phase, whereas Be4AlMn was slightly attacked by the etchant. The i-phase was present predominantly in the form of dendrites and a rodlike eutectic phase. The hexagonal phase was primarily in the form of hexagonal platelets, whereas Be4AlMn was rather irregular in shape. The morphology of the i-phase can be explained by predominant growth in 3-fold directions and the lowest energy of the 5-fold planes, leading to the faceting and adopting a pentagonal dodecahedron shape. The brightnesses of phases in the backscattered electron images were rationalized by determining their backscattering coefficients. TEM investigation showed considerable phason strain in the i-phase, and the polycrystalline nature of the Be4AlMn phase.